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#but then I got annoyed by how people ruined bruce so here we are
aingeal98 · 3 months
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Love and compassion are core elements of Batman but unfortunately Bruce's flaws that create conflict frequently do not come down to writers deliberately showing the battle between his love and compassion and how it can bleed over into smothering paranoia and fear of loss, or even how other traits such as his difficulties communicating effectively and his egocentric mentality can harm him. It instead comes down to the writers being conservatives and projecting their love for fascism on to Batman. And then one normal writer will come along and remind everyone that Bruce doesn't just go around snarling about wars on crime and his soldiers and being condescending to women and creates a story that would earn the tag "Bruce Wayne Has a Heart" on ao3 and then another writer is like hmm nah here he is beating his son bloody because he broke one of Bruce's rules. And then another writer is like OK what if women were evil temptresses lol wouldn't that be crazy for Batman to have to resist that like the Alpha Chad he is. And finally there comes a string of writers who hit the happy medium where they don't care about what Batman stands for they just want to write about the fun villains he fights and supporting cast he has. Who cares about Bruce Wayne, look at Batman being a detective and taking on impossible odds and winning! Look at these characters he gets to bounce off of without really reflecting anything about him other than He's Batman!
All this to say: Cassandra Wayne is the best Batman. She has that love and compassion in spades but she also doesn't have a hefty swathe of comics written by horrible people turning her narrative into propaganda for their hatred of oppressed groups with her as their main mouthpiece. (She does however suffer from it due to you know. Everything about her on paper being a conservative nightmare. Yet she's still here today with more consistent characterization than the men she was often used to prop up.) Instead, her strengths and flaws and contradictions are all tied together in a way that defines so sharply what it is to be Batman that I think all Batman writers should read Batgirl 2000. Not so that a version of Bruce written over 60 years after his debut should be their definitive Batman but so that they can look at Bruce and Cass and their interactions and be like "Woah." and then hopefully write good comics.
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lou-iz-stat · 11 days
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Well I got to episode 5 in my IWTV S1 rewatch…
Truthfully I probably won’t say much about this episode since there is so much of it in season 2 that I think will be revisited. On top of that I am at the end of my semester at school so I probably won’t say much because of that too. Also out of all of the episodes of s1 this the episode that I have seen the least.
But we still have 3 more weeks until season 2 where I have no doubt that s1 will be tame when compared to it. I’m getting more and more nervous each week not going to lie.
Ok… here we go!
IWTV S1 E5: A Vile Hunger for Your Hammering Heart
The episode starts with Daniel reading Claudia’s diary and how she records the last words of the people she kills.
But then Daniel is interrupted by Louis feeding on ‘Rashid’. It is pretty nasty for Louis and Armand to do this in front of Daniel. He even reads his mind to try and throw Daniel off his game. I notice that whenever Daniel tries to talk about something negatively about Claudia, Louis will always try to do something to throw Daniel off that even holds through in the ‘Paris sucks’ clip we have in s2.
It’s funny that Armand tells Daniel he would not let him anywhere near his neck. He must still be mad at Daniel for something maybe Devil’s minion related? 👀
Then we go back to 1923 where Louis thinks that she has gone on a hunger strike because of Charlie but Lestat knows that she is just escaping when they have to go feed. Since they are so similar Lestat knows that Claudia would not skip out on meals.
Also the line “I know what I’d do, but you cut my hands off.” Like!!!!! Fucked up Nikki reference. 😭
Also Lestat reading the diary and the dairy being so graphic ugh… 🤢
Everything is just such a mess… oh boy… with all the bodies coming up
And of course Tom Anderson is trying to distract Loustat since the Police chief is there in the speakeasy.
I feel so much anxiety with all the cops in their home! And Claudia is not helping! 😬
There are still some comical bits such as the “We sell… incinerators.” Louis’s little shrug at Lestat. “To various American cities.” The delivery is actually very funny.
Also what’s funny is Claudia’s acting when the cop opens her door. Her face when she drops the blanket and the closet door opens to show the rotting man.
But all the fun and games stop when the cop is homophobic.
Yes Lestat is a jerk and treats Claudia like shit and still sees Antoinette so Claudia only feels like she has to leave.
Also establishing that Claudia is unable to turn people is a great thing to set up now.
And even though it’s heartbreaking I do love that Claudia gets mad at Louis for not just taking her to a hospital but made Lestat turn her into this monster. Bailey’s acting is just so perfect here.
We go back to Dubai and Daniel is telling Louis some harsh truths about what the public could do with Claudia. Yikes
And their home turns into a ruin after they wake up from their long nap
Man…Fuck Bruce
The part where Louis makes Daniel’s Parkinson’s go out of control as always annoyed me even if Daniel was stepping out of bounce it just never sat right to me. And of course Armand is there to ‘calm Louis down’
We go back once again and we see the scene of Louis saying his final goodbye to Grace and his makes Claudia come home after everything.
Lestat is such a bitch when she comes home. I understand what he is trying to do but it’s just all wrong.
And the fight happens. We will revisit what happened during the fight in the coffin room that we don’t get to see. But as an indication by some parts of the trailer we have already seen a glimpse of it. Hopefully the writers handle it well…
Also the during the drop scene it sounds a lot like what Armand said to Lestat before pushing him off a tower in TVL so I guess we’ll see what comes of it.
Okay good got through that one. Now I can get back to some class work lol.
I cannot believe that we are now 3 weeks away from seeing the premier for season 2 and for some of you, you will be seeing it in about a week and a half. Good luck to the NYC people that get to see it early.
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sassylittlecanary · 11 months
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Cynicism and God Complexes: Thoughts on Batman v Superman
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There’s good stuff about this movie. Clark and Bruce are especially well cast, some of the costumes are pretty, Wonder Woman is there, etc. But as for the rest? I just rewatched this film, and here’s my two cents.
Bruce's Characterization
I appreciate how the beginning shows Bruce’s compassion for people (especially kids), but then it’s … not really relevant ever again? What Batman does to the sex traffickers is certainly satisfying, but it's also more in line with Huntress or Red Hood’s tactics (which comics!Bruce hates). So, by making him more like Frank Miller’s Batman (aka the Punisher in a cape -- seriously, The Dark Knight Returns had horrendous characterization and we should not be basing movies on it), it erases everything about his character that defines him as Batman, which is VERY relevant in comics batfam dynamics. Furthermore, there's the moment when the media is criticizing the bat brand, and Bruce says, "They’re criminals, Alfred — they’ve always been criminals. Nothing’s changed.” This is not who Bruce is! This is not his mindset! Where is the Bruce Wayne who gets a former villain a job at Wayne Enterprises and works toward reform and doesn't see anyone as a lost cause?
There's also the question of the dead Robin (not that you can really tell it’s a Robin costume because it's freaking BROWN) who is probably Jason Todd, which makes Bruce's characterization here even more implausible. Bruce didn’t kill his arch nemesis (who’s still alive and played by Jared Leto) who tortured and murdered his teenage son, but sure, he’ll kill Superman happily!! I call BS.
Clark's Characterization
This film is all about fear of Superman, and this is best personified by Bruce and Alfred's perspective — that Kal-El is a god coming down from the sky who could reign terror on the earth and answers to no one. Sure, they’re unreliable narrators, but this narrative still ruined many people’s perceptions of Superman. Despite scenes showing Clark’s kindness, fear of Superman (plus the idea that we SHOULD be afraid of him) is woven throughout the entire film. The entire point of the Knightmare sequences is fear of Superman. Even if they’re simply meant to demonstrate Bruce’s paranoia, they still serve to instill fear of Superman in the audience as well. (Also the Knightmare sequences are literally just Injustice ripoffs and I HATE IT. Literally the worst thing to take inspiration from for a Superman movie.) It's noteworthy that Superman's first appearance shows him looking scary and imposing. That's the image many people remembered.
Also, the core of Clark's character is that he cares about people. He does literally everything in his power to protect them. The idea of him allowing (or causing) destruction to befall innocents just so he can save Lois is ludicrous. Actually, the (heavily Injustice inspired) idea throughout the DCEU that Clark prioritizes Lois over other innocent people is awful. Clark cares about all of humanity — whom he lives among and is not isolated from  — not just Lois. (Also, while I love the tenderness in their relationship, it's just not a Lois & Clark relationship. Where is the banter? The flirtation? These two are cute together, but they were also made into a very generic couple.)
Additionally, I hate Superman as a Christ figure, and I hate the "he's a god among mortals!!" narrative. Y'all. This is post-Crisis. John Byrne got rid of that. We've moved past this.
The Villain
I hate Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I get that he’s Luthor Jr, but still. He’s kinda just playing the Joker without makeup. He’s just pathetic and annoying and I cringe when he’s on screen. It's honestly embarrassing that every other actor who has played Lex Luthor was both more menacing and more compelling. 
The Tone
Beyond a doubt, this movie's fatal flaw is how bleak and cynical it is. The tone, the characterization, the very premise, and even the color scheme are so cynical. It takes all the fun and meaning out of the genre. Thanks for turning these inspiring and beloved characters into another sad soulless action movie!! Love you Zack 😘
Also, the beginning bothers me. Bruce doesn't like Clark because of all the violence he causes -- except comics!Clark cares about protecting civilians. It's just that Zack Snyder followed the 2010s action flick trend of adding tons of gratuitous, gritty violence, and now BvS is reckoning not with the characters' actions, but with Snyder's directorial choices from Man of Steel. Which is lame and I hate it.
Snyder's choices in general just bother me. He literally took one of the brightest, most colorful, most fun genres ever and was like “Actually, what if everything was DARK and BROWN and SAD.” And you know what? I do not vibe with that. Not everything has to be Game of Thrones.
Honestly, all this cynicism and moralizing would've been more suited to an Authority film than one about the DC Trinity.  I don’t WANT a dark and realistic take on Superman and how people might view him. I don’t want a movie where Superman is put on trial or burned in effigy! I want a movie where Superman saves people and brings joy and hope to the world. I want my kind and inspirational beacon of hope. I want the hero whom children adore and adults admire. Give me a real superhero movie, not a hopeless grimdark action movie with superhero characters.
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blondwhowrites · 2 years
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This Life We Live
Older!Damian Wayne X Reader
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((GIF not mine))
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Sometimes you wondered what happened to your life to make you want to move to Gotham. The most dangerous city in the world, and knowing no self defense skills you decided to move there. 
What a joke. 
Of course you blame your job for this predicament of yours. Being a journalist, it was no surprise that Gotham was a hot spot for a job like yours. So here you were in Gotham trying your hardest to not get mugged. You see in Gotham you lived by three simple rules. 
Don't get involved.
Always have pepper spray or a knife on you. 
Don't walk at night. 
Your first mistake was forgetting those rules. Walking at the dead of night to get groceries while carrying a little bit too much cash, and no self defense weapon. You were bound to get mugged, and get mugged you did. 
“Let me go!”, You exclaimed as you tried to escape the hold of the masked person who was holding you captive. It had only been days since you moved to the rundown part of the city since that was all you could afford. You thought it would take at least another week or two for something to happen. At Least that would mentally prepare you, somewhat. “Shut up and give me your money.”, The masked man grunted as his hold tightened painfully on your body. You were definitely going to have bruises tomorrow. 
“They said to let them go.”, A voice in the darkness said, “Or did nobody teach you manners growing up?”
You knew about the existence of Batman and Robin. Who did not? They were the saving grace of Gotham. The mysterious protectors of Gotham City. When moving here your main mission was to at least find out something about them. That would give you the big break you needed, but that had an almost zero percent chance since it's been years since Batman appeared with his sidekick and nobody has ever gotten a name for behind those masks. 
You felt something metal touch your head and your blood ran cold. “Try and stop me and they get a bullet in their head.”, The man clearly panicked, and was not thinking straight. You gulped as you closed your eyes waiting for the gunshot. It never happened. What did happen was the man letting you go and the gun falling to the ground as he was tackled to the ground by the bird themed masked sidekick. 
You were frozen in place as you watched. Yep, you weren't getting any sleep tonight. “Thank you.”, Your voice shakes as you talk. Before you could say anything else your savior was gone. Rude. Whoever was behind that mask clearly was not a people person. 
That night as you walked back to your apartment, shaken up and scared, you couldn't get that voice out of your head. “They said to let them go”, Echoed through your head all night. It was almost annoying how loud it was. 
“Shit”, Damian hissed out as he got out of the batmobile along with Bruce. Those thugs just had to land a punch on him, how pathetic. He was getting rusty. Years ago those thugs wouldn't even lay their hands on him. Seemed like he would just need to go harder on himself. 
“Master Damian I insist we check that”, Alfred tried to explain to the young Wayne. “I’m fine.”, Damian responded as he took off his suit. He didn't even wince as he leaned over to grab his t-shirt to put on. Damian was a stubborn man, he got that from his father, and when he didn't want to do something nothing would be able to convince him to do it. “Goodnight” 
The days passed by slowly as you tried to settle into life in Gotham. It wasn't going well so far. You had bought pepper spray and a pocket knife the day after you were mugged, and so far you hadn't needed to use them so you consider yourself lucky. Your new job was going well. Coworkers were nice and the hours were not that long. You had managed to make some friends, and it was nice. Maybe life in Gotham wasn't going to be that bad.  
Nevermind. 
Why must everything be ruined? You were having a fun weekend with your friends going to a restaurant, and eating some good food when gunshots rang out throughout the place. Your survival instincts kicked in immediately as you ushered your friends to hide under the table along with yourself. “I hate this city.”, You muttered to yourself as you tried to figure out what exactly was happening. One thing for sure you were definitely making a post on your blog about this. Maybe if you were lucky your boss would assign this story to you because you had been a witness to everything. Knowing your luck that wasn't going to happen. 
“We are going to die.”, One of your friends whispered as they tried to conceal their sobs of horror. “If you keep on talking then yeah we might.”, your other friend snapped as they got out their phone and dialed 911. You could only hope that Batman and Robin would get here soon and save the day like they always did. 
Your eyes widened as you were grabbed from under the table. Shit. “Well lookie here what a person, am I right boys?”, A woman's voice spoke. Your chin was grabbed as you were forced to look at a pale woman with dyed hair. Harley Quinn, Oh you were so screwed. Ever since she had broken up with the Joker, which good for her, she had been terrorizing the city trying to make a name for herself that wasnt associated with the Joker. It seemed like you had just gotten caught in the middle of it. “I'm going to have some fun with you.” 
“Let them go Quinn”, A gruff voice spoke and your head whipped towards it and your eyes widened. Batman. You couldn't conceal the smile on your face as you saw the vigilante. Harley pouted, “But Batsy I was just getting started with them”. She took your arm as she forced you to wave at him. Her sickening laugh ran throughout your ears and you could've sworn you threw up a little in your mouth. 
Quinn looked around as she hummed. “Where's the other one?”, “I’m right here” Then Harley was knocked onto the ground and an arm wrapped around your waist as you were taken away from her. Damn that was fast. You looked up at your savior Robin and you smiled. “Hi.”, This was going to be the new normal wasn't it? Being saved by Robin and Batman every other week. At Least they weren't too bad to look at. 
“Hi.”, Robin spoke with no emotion. He spoke! The masked man had a voice. Who knew? You were sat down by a group of civilians who had also been in the restaurant. You watched as Robin and Batman sprung back into action, and you heard the distant sound of sirens. You were blogging about this, oh you were so blogging about this. 
Time blurred by, and soon enough you were being questioned by police. When all was said and done you saw a blurb of red, and you followed it. “Thank you, for saving me again.”, You said as you looked at Robin who seemed surprised to see you. “It's my job to save people. “, He spoke matter of factly as he eyed you. 
“That doesn't mean I can't thank you.”, You said as you leaned on the wall of the alley way. “So thank you.”, You added on with a little smirk. 
“You're welcome.” 
With that he left, leaving you behind smiling. Okay you took it back maybe he wasn't that rude. You turned away as you walked out of the alley way. 
“Who was that?”, Batman asked as he gestured to your form that was walking away. “Nobody”, Robin spoke as he watched you with a smirk on his face. “Doesn't seem like it.”, Batman responded as he eyed his son. “Well it is so stop pestering me about them.”, Robin spoke clearly annoyed by his fathers pestering. He jumped off the roof to escape the man's questioning. 
That wasn't the last time you met Robin, but the person you met next wasn't exactly him. 
You were on your way to work carrying way too much coffee for one person to hold when you bumped into a person and spilt some over them. Shit. “Oh my gosh I am so sorry!”, You spoke as you looked up at the person. 
It was you again? Why did you always appear in his life? 
“Watch where you are going.”, He said as he looked at his now ruined shirt. “You know you don't have to be so rude about it. It was an accident, and I apologized”, You said as you got your shit in order. “Do you know who I am?” 
“A guy who I spilled coffee on.” 
He did have to admit you were interesting. It's not everyday someone has the audacity to call him out on his rudeness. He sighed as he said, “My name is Damian Wayne” 
“Y/N L/N”
He saw you struggle with the coffees you were carrying. “You need help?, He asked. 
Now that was strange. Damian actually helping someone who had spilt coffee on him? Was he possessed? It definitely seemed like it. 
You smiled at the offer and you nodded. “I would love some help Damian.” 
And that is how your friendship with Damian started. After he had helped you, you had given him your number. It was a risky move, but it worked. Now it seemed like you were always texting him. When your friends found out about your new friend they had freaked out for some odd reason. 
That's how you found out about his status. 
You were friends with Bruce Wayne's son, and you had met him by spilling coffee on him. Then, you proceeded to call him rude. Holy shit you were lucky to still have good self esteem. 
“Y/N this is my dog, Titus. Titus meet Y/N they are my friend.”, Damian spoke like the animal actually knew what he was saying. You smiled as you looked at the great dane and you held out your hand for it to sniff. “You're a handsome dog, Titus”, You said as you scratched the dog's head who seemed to love the attention. You never had a dog before, but you always wanted one. They seemed like fun creatures who were good at keeping someone from being lonely, but you didn't have the space and money to get one. Besides your pet snake, Noodles,  was all you needed in life. 
“I didn't know you were such a animal person.”, Damian said as he watched you interact with Titus. You always managed to surprise him. You hadn't even been friends with him that long and yet Damian felt like he could trust you with anything. It scared him. “I have a pet snake at home named Noodles. I love any animal” 
You had a pet snake? A snake? Damian was smiling. “Maybe I'll meet Noodles one day.”, He said and you smiled at him. “I would love for you to meet him.” 
Meet Noodles he had. It was the first time he had interacted with a pet snake and Damian was loving it. He watched as the snake slithered around his hand. “I think Noodles likes you.”. Damian looked at you and he felt his heart skip a beat. Something about you enchanted him. He didn't know if it was a good or bad thing, but he was hoping it was good. 
“You've been hanging out around them.”, Bruce Wayne said as he watched his son draw something in his notebook. “Yes, I have father. Why do you care?”, Damian said from his spot in the chair by the fire. He didn't even look up at Bruce. He was too focused on what he was drawing, which was you with Titus. He had started it earlier that day when he met you at a dog park, and he was determined to finish it. 
“You like them.”, Bruce pointed out as he thanked Alfred for the tea he had made for both of them. “Yes, they are a good friend.”, Damian responded, the meaning behind his fathers words flying completely over his head. “That is not what I meant.” 
“What?” 
“You'll figure it out eventually” 
You scrolled through your phone as you sat in the booth. “So how are you and Damian doing?”, Your friend asked with a smirk as they sipped their drink. “Good”, You said nonchalantly as you waited for your food to be served. “Oh come on! That can't be it. “, You raised a brow at your friend's words. “What do you mean?”, You asked as you put your phone down. You wanted to hear this. 
“You have feelings for him, Y/N” 
“What? No I don’t?” 
Your friend rolled there eyes clearly not convinced with your answer. 
“Bullshit” 
“Hey language!” 
“Y/N you swear all the time” 
“No I fucking don’t” 
You and your friend laughed at the little argument. “But seriously Y/N you should go for it, because he clearly likes you back.” 
“You think? Wait I mean no he doesn't and I don't like him.”, You glared at your friend who was smirking at you with a knowing expression. You were so going to kill them. Your food finally arrived which thankfully shut them up long enough for you to clear your thoughts. You didn't like Damian like that right? He was just a friend. 
Oh my god you had romantic feelings for Damian. 
“Fuck your right” 
“Told you so” 
“Shut up” 
That night you didn't sleep and it seemed neither did Damian, because you had texted him all night. That morning when you heard your phone ding with a notification that Damian had responded you knew your friend was right. 
You had a crush on Damian Wayne. 
That day you had agreed to meet with him at a cafe. You had a plan. You were going to casually ask him on a date. This couldn't possibly go wrong. 
Wrong this was Gotham city of course it was going to go wrong. 
Screams and fire was all you could hear and see. You were yanked by Damian as you escaped the cafe. There in the near distance was the bank of Gotham on fire. Seemed like the Joker had thought it was a good day for a robbery, because there he stood at the top of the steps laughing his ass off. The green haired villain shot anyone in his way. “We need to get out of here.”, You said as you took Damians hand which seemed to snap him back into reality. 
“Damian Wayne, how lucky am I?”, A voice cackled and your eyes widened as you turned to see the Joker staring straight at you and Damian. “I bet your father would pay a lucky penny to keep you safe.” The attention was turned onto you as you cowared into Damians side. 
The joker laughed as he said, “Scratch that who is this lovely person? Don't tell me the son of Bruce Wayne has a partner? I really got lucky today.” 
“Don't bring them into this.” 
Damian held onto you tightly. Father better get his ass here soon, because he would rather reveal his identity as robin than let you get hurt. He heard his phone buzz and he smirked. The bat had finally arrived. 
“Y/N I need you to run as fast as you can when I tell you to.” Damian whispered to you as he loosened his hold on you. You nodded slowly as you heard Damians plan. “Only if you come with me”, You whispered back. You were not going to leave him. “Please just trust me” 
You knew you didn't have a choice in what Damian did. He was a stubborn asshole. You watched as Batman snuck up behind a distracted Joker. 
“Run” 
You listened and you ran as fast as you could to safety or at least somewhere that was safer then there, but to your horror you were surrounded by some of Joker's thugs. You took steps back as you tried to find a way to escape. A gun was pointed right at you then a shot rang out. It took you a second for everything to hit you. You looked down at your stomach to see your shirt staining red. 
Damian watched what happened from a distance, and he looked at his father who was busy with Joker. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to you, taking down those thugs one by one until all of them couldn't get up. “Y/N i'm going to need you to stay awake.”, He said panicked laced in his voice as he took you into his arms. 
“It hurts” 
“I know, I know but you need to stay awake” 
He put pressure against the wound as he watched his father approach them. “Please I can’t lose them” He looked at your now unconscious body with tears in his eyes. “I love them”
Beep 
Beep 
Beep 
When you opened your eyes everything was blurry and it was too bright for your eyes. “What?”, You muttered to yourself as you realized you were on a hospital bed. You had been shot, you remembered. 
“Y/N?” 
You looked to see Robin entering the room and your eyes widened. “Uhh I do not remember seeing you there.” You said and that is when it struck you. “Where is Damian? Is he safe!”, You asked frantically. 
“Its okay I’m safe” 
“What?”
Damian hadn’t even realized what he had said before it was to late and he sighed disappointed that he had made such an idiotic move. He took off his mask as he looked at you. “I'm safe Y/N and so are you. Your in Gotham General Hospital. You went into surgery to get the bullet out and it was successful” 
“You are Robin?” 
“Yes and technically I am supposed to be questioning you about what happened right now”, He said as he put back on his mask as he pulled up a chair to sit next to your bed. He took your hand into his own and he breathed out. “I thought I lost you Y/N” He wiped away his tears as he looked at you. If one thing was for sure Damian now knew what his father meant. 
“My family and this life we live. It, it isn't safe” 
“I don't care as long as I have you.” 
And with that you closed the distance between you and him. 
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ragingbookdragon · 3 years
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I'm Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 3
Batfamily x Batsis Story!
Word Count: 2.1K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst! Tags!: @itsnottilly @cloudyskylines
Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN!!!! Y'all enjoy this now, because it's only gonna get so much more angstier soon. -Thorne
Set Three Months After PT. 2:
She didn’t have to look up to know who entered the shop, because his voice carried over the air. “Melisandre!”
Humming, she immediately plated a pastry and a hot coffee, sliding it on the counter just as he sat down. “Good morning, Wally,” she greeted, watching him take a bite. “Right on time, as always.”
He smiled, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. “Morming Merisamdmur,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes with a snort.
“Jeez Wally, didn’t your mom teach you to not talk with your mouth full?”
Shrugging, he swallowed and said, “I was trying to be polite.”
“I think it’s more polite to chew with your mouth closed and speak after you swallow.”
They glared at each other before one of them cracked a smile and they fell into laughter. She tossed a napkin his way. “How’s your day going so far?”
Wally groaned and laid his head on the cool marble countertop. “I’ve got so much to do today, it’s not even funny.”
“Well, well, Wally the procrastinator is finally feeling his toes at the fire, huh?” She ignored his glare. “What do you have to do?”
“Barry needs my help with my cousins and my friends are coming over today to hangout and I haven’t bought any food or drinks for that and I have yet to even start cleaning my house.”
She giggled and reached over, patting his head sympathetically. “There, there, Wally. Everything will be alright. Why don’t you just bring your cousins over to your house and watch them while you hang out with your friends?”
“Because my cousins are annoying and I’m not subjecting my friends to that,” he countered and propped his chin on his palm. “Unless…”
She cocked a brow and waited for him to continue and he offered, “You come over with my cousins and help me watch them?”
“No.”
“What! Why?”
“Well for starters, I don’t know your friends and it would be weird for me to just show up.” She countered.
“They’ll like you though!” he cried, and his hand shot out, wrapping around hers. “Please, Melisandre!”
“Wally, I’ll just watch your cousins at my apartment and Iris can just come get them later, that’ll be easier and won’t force me to sit in a group of people who don’t know me.” He tried to speak but she tossed another napkin, hitting him in the face. “I’m watching Dawn and Don so you and your friends can hang out without being bothered, and that’s final.”
His face pinched. “You sure you can keep up with them?”
Something passed between them and she quirked a brow. “I can keep up with you, can’t I, Wally?”
Wally chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a fair point.” He glanced at her. “They would like you though.”
She ignored the comment in favor of, “Tell me about them. What are they like?”
He inhaled sharply and took a moment to think. “Donna’s strong willed, Roy’s loud, Lilith likes to get in your head, Garth is easy to annoy, and Dick’s kinda the glue that keeps us together.”
“Dick? He get that from Richard by asking nicely?”
Wally barked a laugh. “Oh, I’m definitely gonna tell him you said that.” He nodded. “But yeah, his name is Richard Grayson, but he goes by Dick.”
Her eyes almost bulged out of her head and she was lucky that Wally was looking at his watch then.
Don’t ask. Don’t do it. Leave it alone.
But she couldn’t stop herself.
“Richard Grayson?” she feigned. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
Wally met her eyes. “Bruce Wayne.”
She snapped her fingers. “Right! The ward.” Wiping the counter, she added, “I heard they added a new addition to that family too. A daughter, right? Cassie? Cassidy?”
“Cassandra,” Wally corrected. “Yeah, that’s Dick’s new sister.” He put his elbows on the counter. “She’s nice, doesn’t talk a lot though.”
“The quiet one, then?”
He laughed. “Of them all.”
Don’t dig any deeper, (Y/N). Keep your fucking mouth shut and let it go.
“I always wondered what happened to that other daughter he had,” she murmured, and Wally’s face blanched like he’d witnessed a murder.
“What?”
She met his gaze. “He had another daughter. I think her name was (Y/N).”
He swallowed thickly. “He does.”
“Does? She’s still around?”
“Yeah, she’s in some Italian villa.”
“Wait really? I thought she died or something?”
“What? No! She left—” Wally snapped his mouth shut like he was about to reveal a secret, but she knew anyways. “She left and went to Europe for a mental retreat.” He finalized and she wondered if that was the story Dick told him to say if anyone asked. Or maybe it was Bruce.
“It’s been like three years now, right? You’d think she’d post something on social media.”
“The whole point of a mental retreat, Melisandre, is to get away from social media.”
Oh please, I know plenty of elite who do that shit and still post crap on their socials.
“There’s no way that girl hasn’t.”
“Why do you say that?”
She scoffed. “Oh please, she’s the daughter of a multi-billionaire. There’s no way a girl that wears Gucci belts and carries Prada purses keeps herself off social media.”
Wally’s eyes narrowed like he was thinking hard about something and she internally cursed.
Oh, smooth move you dumbass.
She coughed and waved a hand. “Well, it’s all theory anyway.”
After a moment, he nodded. “Yeah…theory.” Wally got to his feet and handed her the empty plate. “I should go ahead and get back to my place and clean up before they get here.”
“Have fun,” she smiled, and he grabbed her arm.
“Take a pic with me.”
“What? Why?”
“So, I can tell my friends about you and prove I’m not lying.” He pouted. “Pretty please, Melisandre?”
Don’t do it. Dick will know. You know he’ll know.
She smiled despite her internal thoughts. “Sure.”
Wally grinned and raised the camera where she was in the background. She threw up a peace sign and gave a cheesy grin, momentarily blinded by the flash of the camera.
She spun and filled a bag with pastries then handed it to him. “Here, so you can give even more proof.”
Wally took the bag and hopped onto the counter, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Thanks Melisandre!” And he was dashing out the door.
You’ve ruined it all. This is going to come back to bite you in the ass. And it’s going to come quicker than you think.
She frowned and wiped down the counter again, trying to ignore her thoughts. Maybe. Just maybe, it wouldn’t.
***
Waving Barry and Iris off, she smiled as the twins climbed into the backseat of their car and the taillights signaled their departure. She closed the door behind her and glanced at the mess the two tornadoes had left. Even for the little she had in her apartment, they sure did know how to make a mess.
She sighed as she bent over to pick up one of the cushions when her doorbell rang and she stood up, confusion coming over her as she made her way to the door.
“Hello?” she asked, and a muffled voice echoed from the other side.
“Melisandre, it’s me, Wally. Can I come in?”
She opened the door, surprised to see him. “Wally? What are you doing here? I thought you were with your friends?”
“Yeah, I told them I had to do something really quickly,” he said as entered her apartment. He took a moment to examine her living room. “Man, Dawn and Don did a number here, didn’t they?”
She chuckled. “We had fun building forts.” Nudging him in the side, she added, “I don’t mind the mess.” She looked at him. “Do your friends know? About you being…you know?”
He nodded. “We’re all special in some way.”
Understatement there, Wally.
“So, why tell them you need to do something then come to me? Is everything alright?”
Busying herself with the couch cushions, she waited for him to explain, but nothing could’ve prepared her for his words.
“It will be once I get to the bottom of it…(Y/N).” She froze for a split second, but it was all he needed. “It really is you, isn’t it?”
(Y/N) stood upright and gazed at him. “When did you know?” Her voice was a lot colder than she meant for it to be.
“I had suspicion for a while, but when I showed the picture to everyone, Dick said it looked like you.”
“Really?” she laughed. “I thought I did a good job changing my appearance from three years ago.”
Wally didn’t laugh, he merely gaped at her. “Why?”
“Why what?” (Y/N) knew what he was referring to.
“Why’d you just leave?” He took a step towards her. “Do you have any idea what your family has gone through since you disappeared on them? The grief? The shame?”
She shrugged. “I explained everything in the letter I wrote my dad, Wally. There’s no reason why they should still be concerned with me.”
“They love you!” he shouted, taking her by surprise. “They love and miss you so much!”
“My family ignored me for eighteen years straight, Wally!” She yelled right back. “What was I supposed to do? Sit and pretend being forgotten was all normal?!” (Y/N) couldn’t help but shove at his chest. “I chose to leave because my next choice was taking a swan dive off Wayne Enterprises!”
His eyes went wide, and she shook her head. “I left because the only person who cared about me, was me.” She turned and fixed the final couch cushion while he watched her do so.
“They’re still looking for you, you know. Dick is always staring at his phone hoping there’s a text from Jason or Tim that they’ve found a sign of you.”
(Y/N) sighed. “If you’re trying to guilt trip me, Wally, it’s not going to work.” She shot him a glare. “I got over the fucking guilt the second the flight to Central took off. I got over the fucking guilt the night I laid in a hotel room bed curled into a ball where I cried myself to sleep. I got over the fucking guilt the moment I realized I’ve done so much better on my own than when I was there.”
She marched up to him and got in his face. “I got over the fucking guilt when I realized Barry and Iris Allen were more of a family than four brothers and dad ever were.”
They glared at each other and finally, she let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve already started a new life here and I have no plans of ever going back.”
“At a college that doesn’t have a real name. You know that’s illegal, right?”
(Y/N) scoffed. “What’re you gonna do, Wally? March into four-C and tell them Bruce Wayne’s daughter is going to school under a false name? We both know you wouldn’t.”
“I’ll tell Dick,” he suddenly shot back, and she went rigid.
“You wouldn’t dare,” (Y/N) threatened and he took a step towards her, getting nose to nose with her.
“Try me.”
They stared one another down and she said, “I think you need to leave, Wally West.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I guess I should.” He spun on his heel and marched to the door, but stopped when she questioned,
“Are you really going to tell him?”
Wally gazed at the ground for a moment then he murmured, “…No…it’s not my place to.”
(Y/N) swallowed and nodded. “Thank yo—”
“Don’t thank me, (Y/N). I’m lying to my best friend about knowing the real location of his baby sister he misses dearly.”
She looked away. “Cassandra is his baby sister now. He should focus on her.”
“You really have no idea about what they feel for you, do you, (Y/N)?” He asked, and she grunted.
“Get out, Wally.”
“Don’t worry, I’m gone,” he spat, slamming the door behind him, hard enough that it shook the walls that held the doorframe.
(Y/N) stared at the door for a few moments then cursed sharply and collapsed onto her couch, eyes directed to the ceiling. Three years down the drain in one conversation.
Way to go, (Y/N). You did a spectacular job of keeping it all under wraps.
She groaned and picked herself off the couch, not caring about the mess as she headed to bed. She’d deal with it all in the morning.
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helloalycia · 3 years
Text
my patient’s neighbour [three] // wanda maximoff
summary: your relationship with Wanda gets a little bumpy when her work life crosses over with your personal life.
warning/s: implied kidnapping, mentions of anxiety
author's note: so the ‘i love you’ confession was actually inspired by an incorrect quote on @aquamarinescarlet’s page! i thought it would be cute aha
part one | part two | part four | part five | part six | part seven | masterlist | wattpad
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It was two months into our relationship when I knew I'd fallen in love with Wanda. I can't remember the exact moment when it hit me – I guess it had happened gradually over time – but I remember the embarrassing moment when I told her.
She'd brought me as her date to an Avengers party thrown by Tony Stark. I'd been to one of them before, about a month into dating her, as she'd wanted me to meet her friends from work AKA the freakin' Avengers. They were actually really great and (somewhat) humble people. I didn't expect to become 'friends' with any of them, more just be friendly whenever I saw them through Wanda. To my surprise, I became quite good friends with Natasha Romanoff.
We had the same dark sense of humour, both had an unexplainable obsession with horror films and she was genuinely just really easy to talk to. I wasn't expecting it, but it was nice to gain a new friend in addition to a new girlfriend.
So, I was at my second Avengers party with Wanda by my side, but the party had ended about half an hour ago and I may or may not have been drunk.
We were sat on the couch, conversing with the other Avengers, and I was sat between Wanda and Natasha. The others were involved in their own conversations and I was too dazed to realise what I was doing until it happened.
"Wanda has no idea I'm in love with her," I said (not-so) quietly, leaning over to my left, into Wanda's ear unknowingly.
Wanda, who was playing with my fingers in her hand, paused and glanced to me with bright eyes, a surprised expression on her face.
"You're in love with me?" she asked, lips twitching into a smile.
I blinked, her words settling in, before I licked my lips. "Oh, sorry." Turning to my right, I moved to Natasha's ear, whispering loudly, "Wanda has no idea I'm in love with her."
Natasha glanced to me with a quirked brow, amused smile on her lips. "She doesn't? You sure about that?"
"You're in love with me?" Wanda repeated, sitting forward and earning my attention.
I gasped, wondering how she knew, before slapping Natasha's arm and looking to her with a frown. "You told her?! I trusted you!"
Natasha ignored me, instead looking to Wanda with an encouraging look. "I'll leave this one to you. Good luck."
She stood up, heading over to Thor and Bruce Banner on the other couch, and I booed her as she left.
"Yeah, run away, you secret-give-away'er!" I called after her with a pout, before crossing my arms.
"I think it's time I take you home," Wanda said decidedly, trying not to laugh as she pulled me up off the couch.
"I don't like Natasha anymore," I mumbled, allowing Wanda to take me away.
She bid her goodbyes to her teammates before leading me to the lift. I don't really remember what else happened until we were suddenly at my house – well, my parents house, but they had given it to me as they travelled the world with their retirement money. She was leading me inside and to my bedroom, getting me dressed like the sweet girlfriend she was, before tucking me into bed.
Of course, being the clingy drunk I was, I pulled her on top of me and didn't let go as I wrapped my arms around her.
"Stay," I mumbled into her shoulder, closing my eyes.
She chuckled, trying to pull away. "Y/N, you need to sleep, c'mon."
"I will," I whined, not letting her leave. "If you stay with me."
She paused, before giving in with a sigh. "Fine."
Tiredly, I smiled. "Yesssss." I patted the spot next to me. "Right here, please."
In the light of my bedside lamp, I saw her roll her eyes playfully, before turning off the lamp and jumping under the covers with me. I sighed with relief, cuddling into her side without hesitating.
"I love you," I mumbled, barely thinking about it.
She tightened her embrace and I felt her kiss the top of my head. "You're probably gonna forget you said that in the morning. But I'll remind you. And if you still think it, then I'll reply."
Her words went into one ear and out the other. I hummed in response, not knowing what I was answering to, and let myself get lost in her scent as I drifted into a peaceful slumber.
When I woke up the next morning, I quite liked the idea of sharing bed with Wanda and waking up to her dishevelled hair and our intertwined legs, even though I didn't remember inviting her to stay. Of course, I also had a banging headache and felt like someone had hit me with a train, so I didn't get chance to appreciate it much.
"Fuck," I mumbled, pulling the duvet over my head to block out the sun streaming through the slit in my curtain.
Wanda, who was shuffling beside me, yawned and stretched her arms. Suddenly, I heard quiet laughter, before she spooned me, wrapping her arms around my stomach and pulling me closer. Her leg raised and clung to my waist, and as much as I appreciated the way she fit perfectly against me, I was still in pain.
"Why did you let me drink that much?" I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut.
"I believe that was your own conscience decision, dorogoy (darling)," she said in that know-it-all voice of hers, and it was hard for me to be annoyed at her because she had a raspy, morning voice and her accent was especially thick with fatigue and damn, Wanda Maximoff was pretty sexy in the morning.
"Whatever," was all I said, but I placed my hand on hers and joint our fingers together.
"You know," she started, tucking her head comfortably into my neck, "I quite like waking up to you like this. You're very cute, even if you're cranky."
Despite aforementioned crankiness, I cracked a smile. "I like this, too."
It was very domestic, something I didn't get the privilege of experiencing with Wanda because she worked a lot, and it felt good.
After hanging around in bed for a little while longer, I got up and showered whilst Wanda offered to make me some breakfast – "Pancakes are a hangover's cure! Or at least according to Tony". After getting ready, I came downstairs to find a stack of pancakes and maple syrup waiting for me.
"You are a Godsend," I told her, pressing a haste kiss to her lips before sitting at the table with the pancakes. "Thank you."
She chuckled, grabbing her own pancakes and sitting opposite me. "Anything for you."
After I dug in, complimenting her on how delicious they tasted, a comfortable silence fell between us. Well, until Wanda spoke up cautiously.
"So, does anything from last night ring a bell?" she asked, making me look up to see her staring eagerly.
My content expression fell. "Shoot, did I do something embarrassing?" I facepalmed. "God, what was it? Did I fall asleep on somebody?"
She smiled with adoration, eyes twinkling in the morning sun. "No, nothing like that."
I could tell there was something though, judging from her hesitant expression. I scrunched my face with regret.
"What did I do?" I asked, unprepared to hear it. "Did I say something to you?"
She played with her fork, twisting it around in her plate nervously, which was very unlike her. "Yeah, actually, you did."
I waited, feeling like the silence was deafening the longer she stayed quiet.
"You said you were in love with me," she said, voice so soft and quiet that I barely heard it.
I felt my heart drop to my stomach. "I what?"
"I mean, technically you said I had no idea you were in love with me, but I think you were supposed to tell Nat that," she continued, eyes avoiding mine. "Then you told Nat and you got mad at her because you thought she told me."
I facepalmed for the second time that morning. "Oh, God..."
"Then you invited me to stay the night and told me you loved me before you fell asleep," she finished rambling. "I just, er, wanted to check if you meant that..."
I raised my eyebrows with disbelief. "Are you kidding?" I reached over the table to grab her hand. "Wanda, of course I meant that! But I hoped to tell you at a better time than by accident whilst I was drunk."
Blue eyes flickered to mine, excitement creeping onto her face. "You meant it."
I breathed out, realising what exactly I'd just said. "I– yeah. I meant it. I'm in love with you, Wanda."
Her smile widened. "I'm in love with you, too."
My heart fluttered in my chest as I relaxed my shoulders. "You love me."
She giggled, squeezing my hand. "We just did this."
"Right! We did," I said, shaking my head, grin forming on my lips. "Sorry. I'm just so happy right now."
"Me, too," she said in agreement, thumb stroking the top of my hand.
I didn't think things could go wrong from here. I was on top of the world! But of course, the world had a funny way of ruining things.
Dating a superhero had its pros and cons, I suppose, but neither really showed themselves to me often as it was as if Wanda's superhero life was separate to the one we shared. When she and I were together, it was just us. And she would leave for work and I wouldn't think about it. Then she would return and it would be us again.
If I took a moment out of my day to stop and really think about where she was, what she could be doing, the danger she could be in... I just couldn't do it. Even when she would show up to our next date with a fresh bruise from training, or a broken bone from a mission gone too far, I'd worry about it for the time being then try to let it go. Those weren't superhero perks, those were reasons to be concerned. And I couldn't handle imagining the time when she'd come back to me in a worse state, or to not even come back at all.
So, her superhero life rarely overlapped with our shared one. And I was happier that way. Until it did.
I was running errands one day, little things that required me to run around the city – dry cleaning, grocery shopping, picking up some DIY stuff for my house. It was a pretty relaxing, fun day. I'd treated myself to lunch, was soaking in the sunshine and planning to unwind with some Netflix on the couch.
"Hold on, I need to unlock the front door," I mumbled into the phone. I was talking to Wanda, catching her up with my day as I returned home.
"Try not to drop your phone this time," she teased from the other end, and I could just imagine the smirk on her face.
"So funny," I said with an eye roll. "Real comedian."
She laughed as I placed my phone in my pocket, not quite hanging up. Pulling my keys from my shopping bag, I fiddled with them, attempting to find the key for my front door.
Suddenly, something metal and cold pressed to my back and I jumped, dropping my keys with surprise.
"Don't draw attention," the person said, and I went rigid, looking up to see a reflection of someone unrecognisable in the glass of my front door. "You're going to leave your things here and come with me."
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to turn around, but the object pressed harder into my back, making me wince.
"Leave your fucking things here and give me your hand," the man ordered, ignoring my question. "Phone included. And don't even think about making a call."
I swallowed hard, panic settling in as I listened to the threatening stranger. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I realised that the stranger had no idea I was already on a call. With an Avenger nonetheless.
"I'll put it down," I narrated my actions, soon coming to realise that the object behind my back was in fact the barrel of a gun.
Hoping Wanda was still listening in and could hear the exchange, I put my phone on the ground and placed my shaking hand in the man's outstretched one. He tucked his gun back into the waistband of his jeans before tugging me down the steps and to a black van parked opposite my house.
Too paralysed with fear at the sight of two more strange men getting out the van, I felt my throat go dry and words get stuck at the bottom. Looking around, I hoped to find a neighbour's eyes or dog-walker's lost gaze, but nobody was here. Whoever these men were had timed their entrance perfectly.
When we reached the van, the back doors were opened and the man spun me around roughly before placing a bag on my head and shoving me inside. Hot tears ran down my face as I squeezed my eyes shut, wondering what the hell was happening and who these people were. But mostly, I hoped Wanda was already on her way.
The whole incident was over soon. That's what we were calling it now. The 'incident'. Of course, it could have been called other things... the kidnapping, the abduction, the capture. But we settled with the 'incident'. It was less explicit, as if minimising how utterly terrifying the whole experience was.
I never did find out who those men were. Wanda offered to tell me, feeling a need to explain herself and blame herself and drag herself down in the dirt to make me feel better, to bring me out of my silence and give me something to feel good about. I recalled her mentioning they were after her, getting to her through me – her girlfriend.
She rescued me quite quickly. Being tied up and locked away and left to cry like a child, wondering if I was going to die any minute at the hands of captors whom I had never met nor done anything to in my life, wasn't fun. People always wonder what they would do in those situations; maybe they would square up and put up a fight; maybe they would scream and shout and get everyone's attention; maybe they'd even retort with sarky remarks and go out with a blaze of glory.
I never imagined what that would be like, but I discovered I could do neither of those things. I just let them take me, let them threaten me and point their guns at me and tie me up and lock me away and–
I let myself cry and feel terrified and shake and lose my words and imagine the worst. Some would call that giving in, but this wasn't something you could prepare for. Surely my response was justified? I wasn't sure. I just knew that when Wanda burst onto the scene, taking out the men with ease and taking me out of there, taking me home, I was momentarily safe.
But then as she began to ramble off her explanations and apologies and regrets, I found myself turning in on myself, unable to hear her out. I didn't blame her one bit, but I also couldn't listen to one more second. So, I tuned her out.
I sat on the couch, staring at the way the thread was coming loose on one of my cushions. I thought about how quickly the whole 'incident' had happened. How one minute I was sat in a cell and now I was sat on my couch. How I was then shaking with fear and now I felt nothing.
"...you listening? Hey, are you okay?"
I only tuned back in when she sat on the cushion I was looking at. Her fingers rested on my cheek, guiding my head upwards so I was looking her in the eyes, glassy and red and swollen from crying. I probably looked the same, though I was all out of tears.
"I promise you nobody will be back here," she said with certainty, thumb stroking my cheek. "There's S.H.I.E.L.D. agents posted all along the street. And I'm happy to stay here if you need me to. You're safe now."
I knew I was. And despite my calm exterior, my heart was still racing in my chest, adrenaline still pumping through my body as if expecting to make a sudden break for it.
"What are you thinking?" she muttered, eyes flicking between mine curiously. "Talk to me. Please."
I shook my head, looking away. "I'm okay."
"It's okay not to be," she said quietly, squeezing my hand.
"I know."
So, we kept that bit up for a few more days, maybe a week. Me pretending I was okay, though still distant from Wanda as if she'd caught the plague, and her pretending she knew I was telling the truth.
But I knew she sensed the nightmares I had, waking me up in cold sweats. I knew she saw the way I tensed when a shadow cast along the wall from a moving object. Or the way I never faced the front door when unlocking it to get inside.
I guess she couldn't take it anymore at some point, possibly a week or two later, as when I was mixing my soup in a bowl after heating it up in the microwave, she sighed loudly.
"You okay?" I asked, glancing up at her. She was stood by the counter, seeming tired.
She'd been staying with me since the incident happened, obviously, and it was nice having her around so much, despite the circumstances. But I knew she was worried and had been keeping it in. I just didn't have the energy to acknowledge it.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, though her fingers still drummed on the countertop.
I let it go, shrugging, before paying attention to my soup. Her impatience was obnoxiously loud, filling the house with a discomfort she was dying to express. Eventually, she did.
"I'm not fine," she decided, and I stopped stirring my soup as I looked to her tugging on her sleeves distractedly. "I'm not fine because you're not fine."
"I've told you I am," I said monotonously, eyes boring into hers.
"I know you're not," she said, crossing her arms and hugging herself. "I've noticed you and..."
I quirked a brow. "And?"
She frowned, eyes softening with empathy. "Don't make me say it, Y/N."
I pressed my tongue to the back of my teeth as I looked down to my steaming soup.
"Talk to me," she pleaded, rounding the counter and leaning beside me, searching for my eyes. "I just want to help."
I swallowed hard. "I have nothing to say, Wanda."
"A really scary thing happened," she began hesitantly. "The fact that you don't have anything to say– that you've not said anything, isn't right."
"Well, I guess there's something wrong with me," I said dismissively, before grabbing the pepper grinder before me and using it.
"No, there's not," she reassured, not giving up. "You just need to talk.”
I set the grinder down, turning to face her abruptly. She straightened up with surprise, taking a small step back.
"What do you want me to say?" I asked, voice calm but full of unintentional malice. "Huh? What do you want me to tell you? That I'm terrified somebody is watching my house, waiting for a quiet moment to break in? That I have to follow you into every room you go in because I don't want to be left alone? That I can't fucking sleep because I'm scared that when I close my eyes, I'll be locked in a nightmare I can't escape? Is that what you want me to tell you? Does that make you feel better, Wanda? Because it doesn't make me feel any better. It just reminds me how fucking terrified I am."
I pocketed my shaking hands, blinked away the tears that threatened to fall, swallowed down the lump rising in my throat. She watched me, unsure what to say at first and I didn't blame her. It was an outburst waiting to happen.
"I'm–"
"Don't say you're sorry," I snapped, before flinching at my tone. "I know you're sorry. And I don't blame you for what happened. I just– I don't know what to do anymore."
Her eyes were studying me like green lasers burning holes into my skin and I hated that I couldn't meet them. I hated even more that I couldn't leave the kitchen out of anger or frustration because I was too scared to be left alone without her by my side.
So, I leaned against the counter, turning away from her, and let out a shaky breath, eyes burning and heart thumping in my ears. Her arms suddenly wrapped around me without question, and I let her take me into her chest, squeezing me so tight so I knew she was there.
Closing my eyes, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, but no sound came out. I struggled to breathe, unable to take in air through my nose as I stuffed my head so hard into her shirt that I couldn't see a thing except darkness. I knew I'd eventually be okay, that I'd eventually get back to some sense of normalcy. But for now, having her here with me was okay. And I found it much better to just be with her then have to go over and talk it out.
She was warm and strong and smelt like home and God, I loved her. I was lucky to have her.
It took about a month and a half to get over the incident. And after that, we never brought it up again. It was just easier that way. We continued on like usual, falling back into our old routine of having a separate us and her separate superhero life.
At some point, I thought it would be nice for her to meet my parents. They were back in town for the week, wanting to check in and see how I was. It was nice having them around and I was excited for them to meet Wanda, who I'd mentioned in some of our Skype calls.
"We don't have to make it a thing," I said as I proposed the idea. We were cleaning around Anna's apartment as she napped in her bedroom. "It's not like an 'oh, meet the parents' thing. They just happen to be in town and we're having a dinner, so I thought you might want to come. If you don't, it's not a big deal. I haven't told them to expect you. Not unless you say yes. Which you don't have to."
She chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Dorogoy (darling), calm down. Breathe."
I neatened the cushions on the couch with a bit too much force. "Am I not breathing? I'm pretty sure I'm breathing."
Her hands slipped into mine as she spun me around to face her. An amused smile on her lips, she said, "You need to relax. If you're like this now, then who knows what you'll be like on the night of the dinner?"
It took me a second to realise what she'd said and when I did, my eyes widened. "Wait, the night of the– does that mean you're going?"
She laughed, tugging me closer to her. "Yes, I'm going. I'd love to meet your parents!"
My shoulders relaxed as her fingers played with mine mindlessly. A smile appeared on my lips as I said, "Thank you. I– it'll be fun. No pressure. Just a dinner."
"Just a dinner," she confirmed, before kissing my forehead gently. "Can't wait."
And so on the day before my parents left for Scotland, yet another trip on their never ending retirement travels, I waited for Wanda to pick me up so we could go to a restaurant to meet my parents, who were already there after spending the day shopping in town.
She arrived at the door with a beautiful smile and bright eyes, looking me up and down.
"Just on time," I teased, tilting my head to the side, before being serious. "You look amazing tonight, Wanda."
"As do you, moya lyubov' (my love)," she said sweetly, leaning forward to kiss my cheek, before stepping inside. "Also, these are for you."
She removed her hand from behind her back as I closed the door, revealing a gorgeous, colourful bouquet of flowers.
"I saw them and thought of you," she began to explain without even realising how cute she was; a smile crept on my lips as she continued, "but then I realised I've never gotten you flowers before which is very dumb of me because a pretty girl deserves pretty flowers, right?"
There was no doubt that my face was heating up from the attention, flustered yet honoured at her words.
"Wanda, I love them," I said, accepting the flowers and meeting her gaze. "And to be fair, nobody has ever gotten me flowers before."
"You're kidding," she said with disbelief, stepping forward and wrapping her arms loosely around my waist. Reading my serious expression, she added, "Not even for your birthday? Or a celebration?"
I shook my head. "Nope."
She gave me a knowing look. "Well, that's very unfortunate. But I'm glad I could be the first."
I held her gaze, amusement dancing in her smile. Mirroring her expression, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her nose, making her scrunch it up delightfully.
"Me, too," I said, and I meant it.
"Come on, we should get going," she said, squeezing my waist before letting go. "Don't want to be late, do we?"
"We do not," I agreed, before putting the flowers in a vase of water and leaving them by the door.
"You ready?" she asked, holding open the front door.
I intertwined our hands and met her smile with my own. "I'm ready."
Taking the girlfriend to meet the parents. What could go wrong?
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scandalsavagefanfic · 3 years
Note
Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.
Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤
I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.
Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.
That said, since you asked...
I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.
The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.
I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.
And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.
Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.
But those are never the stories we get.
⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠
I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.
Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.
In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.
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Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.
Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.
That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).
And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.
But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.
From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.
The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.
This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).
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This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.
This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.
This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.
As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 
Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 
This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 
The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 
Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 
But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.
I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.
(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)
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lenissa · 3 years
Text
You always meet twice (Wanda Maximoff x Romanoff!Reader)
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(not my GIF)
Masterlist
Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader, Pietro Maximoff x Reader (Past), Natasha Romanoff x Reader (Siblings)
Warnings: cursing, i think that‘s it?
Summary: When your sister Natasha asked you to be her representative at the Avengers, you immediately agreed. But then you meet Wanda Maximoff again and it seems like your shared past comes up as well as the then developed feelings.
Word Count: 3.1K
In bold are flashbacks.
A/N: This story is based on my POV i started some months ago, but the plot varies most of the time. Keep in mind that this is my first story and please be nice hahaha
Good reading!
——————————————————————————
You are walking through the halls of the Avenger‘s compound. Although your sister always talks about them, “her new family“, you have never met them before. At least not all of them. Some agents throw judgy glances at you, but you decide to ignore them - you are (Y/N) Romanoff, you’re not in need of being popular, being friendly, you’re a damn skilled agent, always ready to kick asses. That’s also why it didn‘t bother you when Natasha, your older sister, called and asked you for a favour - rather, you have always been curious what it is like to be an Avenger, so you didn‘t even think twice about accepting her offer of being her stand-in for some months.
Are you confident? Yes. Well... you try to be? Maybe- no definitely: it became a coping mechanism. But nobody could blame you… being Natasha Romanoff‘s sister sucks. Don‘t get it wrong, you love your sister with your whole heart, she is your one and only, your tower of strength. But constantly being overshadowed by her? Once people hear about your famous relative you were only seen as her sister, your own persona and personality weren‘t interesting anymore. As a result, you were working for S.H.I.E.L.D in an outpost in Europe, distant enough to start your own life, own career and only hearing about one Romanoff, (Y/N) Romanoff.
You stand before the door of the meeting room, aware of as soon as you go in there, there‘ll be no going back. Surprisingly calm you take one final breath before you knock and get invited in. There they are. The Avengers. Some of them you already know: Clint aka Hawkeye, your sister‘s best friend, Steve aka Captain America, your sister‘s ex-lover, Tony Stark aka Iron Man, sarcasm in person, and… the Maximoff Twins? Seeing them, seeing her, it literally took your breath away. You freeze, not able to breathe, to react nor to say anything.
„(Y/N),my god, have you grown?!“, Clint breaks the silence while coming near to hug you. In his arms you finally release the breath you unconsciously were holding in, and when you pull back you take a closer look at him.
„You‘re becoming grey, Legolas, are the kids that bad?“, you tease, matching his tone and patting his arm lightly.
„Oh dear, it just makes me nervous to see you again“, he jokes as he motions you to sit down.
„Speaking about that, it‘s nice to see you again, (Y/N).“ Steve nods at you and you force a smile - you think Steve is a nice guy, you really do, but you don‘t know the exact circumstances of his break-up with Nat, so you decide to keep distance in a friendly manner.
The remaining time of the meeting nothing special happens, though every time you look around the table you can‘t help but rest your eyes on a certain brunette. And it seems like she notices your gaze, meeting your eyes on and off. You try to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that sets in your stomach whenever her green eyes meet yours, and obviously you are not able to hold the eye contact, so you always look at the floor quickly.
After the meeting the heroes all pop off, only you stay to put away the new equipment and gear you got. But then suddenly a well-known voice speaks up and you startle.
„Already forgot me, (Y/N)?“ You turn around, your heart racing.
„How could I forget the Wanda Maximoff?“, you nervously chuckle.
„I must say I‘m disappointed, I at least expected a greeting.“
„Wanda I-„
„(Y/N)! How long has it been? I…“, Pietro speeds in the room and rubs his neck tense, „I missed you.“
Wanda wheezes and rolls her eyes. „I‘m gonna leave you lovebirds alone“. She walks out of the room before you can say anything more.
„Well that was… weird.“ you say as you turn completely to Pietro.
„She‘s going through a hard time, she will be gentler soon.“
„You think so?“, you laugh, „define soon.“
Pietro chuckles and doesn‘t answer, not even he sees through Wanda‘s feelings, especially when it‘s about you. „Come on, I will introduce you to the others.“
——————————————————————————
Pietro took you to the living room and you have to say, you never thought the Avengers, the world‘s mightiest heroes, would be so endearing. You can finally understand why Nat sees them as her family, even after only spending some hours with them you start to let them in your heart immediately. Until Bucky decided to bring up a sensitive topic.
„From where do you know the twins, (Y/N)?“
You choke on the soda you are drinking, completely caught off-guard with that question. But after clearing your throat your coping mechanism once again appears. „They didn‘t tell you, huh? Well, we had a past.“, you chuckle.
Tony rolls his eyes, annoyed by the childish behaviour, but it makes you smile even bigger. Pietro blushes at the sudden mention of him and tries to distract. „(Y/n), why don‘t you tell them about your powers?“.
„Ok, ok… I'm pretty good at Teleportation, mind manipulation and shape shifting objects.“
Bruce, who you learnt was the human version of the Hulk, was stunned. „Wow, that sounds like a nice substitute for Natasha.“ You smile at him appreciating.
„So Romanoff, since the only other mind stuffy person in this house seems to be pissed, you’ll start training with Rogers.“ Tony announced bugged.
„Can‘t wait.“ You and Steve get up to go to the gym and the rest starts talking about their new member.
„She seems like a faithful person. A true Romanoff.“, Bucky states.
„Ironically, she‘s really good at betrayal and hurting people.“, Wanda says snippy as she walks in to get a snack.
Pietro sighs, „Wanda, what the hell?“
„She‘s not as perfect as you think, Romeo.“
Tony claps to get their attention, „Concentration, guys! You better clear up, Wanda, I just got Information from Fury, you and y/n will be a team in tomorrow‘s mission.“ Wanda rolls her eyes in annoyance, but she knows that it‘s unnecessary to protest.
——————————————————————————
During training, all you thought of was Wanda. Then you tried to read, sleep, watch tv, but nothing could distract you from thinking about the Sokovian. It felt like all the feelings you tried to suppress this past year flood you now at the same time. You barely perceived that you got up, your feet carrying you to the kitchen. Standing in front of the kitchen door you finally wake up from your trance. Your hands are sweaty and shaky, your heart pounding. “What the hell am I doing here?“ You think and just before you turn around the door opens, hitting your shoulder lightly.
„Oh my god, I didn't see you, are you ok?“
„Don‘t worry, I‘m fine. I- I was about to leave anyway.“ 
„But you haven’t even been in there yet, (Y/N).“ The way she says your name releases a cluster of butterflies in your stomach, green eyes watching you amused. „I‘m sorry.“
„Really, it‘s fine. Wanda, list-“
„Don‘t, (Y/N). We don‘t have to do this.“, Wanda sighs.
You take a deep breath and continue, „No, I have to. I am sorry. For everything. I-...I miss you.“
„(Y/N), please, sto-“, she says almost whispering.
„As a friend. I miss my best friend.“
You notice slightly tears forming in her eyes. „You did this to me-“
„(Y/n)! We need you to show us your powers!“ Bucky shouts excitedly as he approaches you both.
„Bucky, now is really not the time to-“
„We need it. For the plan. You know, tomorrow‘s mission?“
You clench your fists and sigh, you know the private moment you just had was ruined. With one apologetic look to Wanda you follow Bucky to the meeting room.
This job will be your end.
——————————————————————————
You weren‘t wrong about this job being your end. Well at least the circumstances. Last night’s events were just... crazy.
After showing the team your powers you went straight to bed, exhausted from all the physical training and psychological stress. When you heard the knocking on the door, you‘re surprised to see Pietro standing there after opening it.
„(Y/N), I think we should talk.“
„Pietro, i-...“, you sigh, „today‘s really not my day. Can we wait until tomorrow?“
„I can‘t wait. Please. I need to get this out.“
„Oookay, go on then, i guess.“, you say, kinda annoyed by the pushiness of the Sokovian.
„I‘m glad that you are here and ok.“
„So am I...“ you laugh humorlessly, „it certainly feels nice to know someone here that doesn‘t completely hate me“ Pietro looks you in the eyes and slowly comes closer. Your breath hitches and you gulp hard when he takes your hand.
„Pietro, what are you doi-“ Before you can finish the sentence, lips are pressed on yours. You are shocked by the action, and you hesitate to kiss back. Yet you can’t resist the familiar feeling of his lips caressing your own, so you kiss back.
„(Y/N), we need to...“, Wanda says approaching your floor but when she sees you both, she immediately freezes„...talk.“
The second you hear her talking you pull back and step away from Pietro. The brunette looks at you incredulously and then walks away.
„Wanda. Wanda!“ you shout while running after her. „Wanda, would you please stop eloping!“ She stops and turns around, eyes burning red. She‘s furious, dangerous, not in control of herself.
„Wanda, use your words. Calm do-“
——————————————————————————
She did not calm down. In fact, she threw you against the closest wall. Even though you don’t have any serious injuries, you are mad. If you were trying to find the courage to talk to her, she could use her words too, right? The morning was quiet, too quiet if you are honest. Each time the door to the gym opened you startled, expecting to get yelled at. But it never happened. Once the twins walked in, they ignored you. Both of them, though Pietro occasionally glanced confused at you. After debating whether you should talk to her or not, you decided to walk up to her and confront her. „What the hell was that yesterday, Wanda?!“
She just huffs and continues to hit the punching bag, but you are determined to talk about it before going on a mission with her, you couldn‘t risk being distracted.
„You‘re acting like a bitch, I don‘t even recognize you anymore“, you say incredulously.
She aggressively turns around. „I am the bitch? You‘re the one that throws herself at anyone, not being here for even a whole day!“
„He“, you point at Pietro, „ he fucking kissed me! I never wanted it to happen. He caught me off-guard!“
„Oh and of course you couldn‘t defend yourself, poor (Y/N).“ Wanda ironically retorts, pushing you against your shoulder.
„Guys-“
„You literally came in one second after he kissed me-“
„GUYS!“ Pietro shouts and both of you turn to him, not noticing that he’s still in the same room. „What the hell is going on with you two?“
„You know what? What the hell Pietro, too! You can‘t just kiss me after not seeing me for a year! What if I don‘t like you anymore?“
„You don‘t like me anymore?“
„You don‘t like him anymore?“
You sigh. „Yes. No. I mean…. I don't like you anymore like that. I- I like you as a friend, Pietro. After you flew from Hydra-“
„-alone-“, Wanda interjects.
„After you flew from Hydra alone, it broke my heart! You freaking left us there!“
Wanda scowls. „And then you did the same to me some time later.“
„Wanda I-... You think it was easy for me to just leave you behind? Fuck, Wanda, do you really think that low of me? When Nat rescued me I tried to convince her to take you with us but she… we… you...“
„Say it, (Y/N). I was the enemy. You were the poor agent, kidnapped by Hydra and experimented on and I was the maniac that volunteered for a dangerous organization.“
„I tried to come back and get you!“
„Don't lie to me, (Y/N).“
„Oh my god“, you huff, „believe me for once!“
„Why should i?!“
„Because I love you!“
O oh.
You both tense, green eyes filled with rage, jealousy, confusion, probably every emotion there is, staring wide at you. You all stand there in silence, all shocked by your outburst, and the only thing that can be heard is your shaky breathing. „Shit. I- I need to go“, you mumble as you storm out of the room embarrassed.
——————————————————————————
This was not going well. Your relationship with Wanda was already complicated enough and your dumb, unplanned love confession didn’t really help. However, you needed to suck it up, ignore all the overthinking in your mind. You are here for a reason. A job. Not a witch.
You are here for the missions. For Nat.
That’s what you tell yourself all the time. But your brain and your heart don‘t really agree, especially while being on a mission with Wanda. You have never been more thankful for your powers that were blocking her out from reading your mind, you were sure your thoughts were literally screaming at her. And gee, you know her too well, she was trying to read your mind - Wanda always has that certain concentrated cute gaze and slight wrinkles between her eyebrows when she does it. Studying her so precisely was a mistake, it made the whole thing even more uncomfortable.
She didn’t react to what you said earlier (not that you gave her that much chance), she acted like you never said anything important like that. But when she caught you staring at her she raised her eyebrows challengingly and broke the silence.
“Are you nervous?”
“Hmm? Oh well, no. I- I guess we had more difficult missions.”, you give her a shy smile and start playing with your fingers nervously.
“Sure.. That’s why you’re currently doing one of your habits when you’re nervous.`` Wanda teases.
You blushed, your cheeks turning faint red. “Let’s just do this'', you say, stepping out of the jet and putting in the comm - earpiece.
Your task wasn’t hard. Go in, kill the enemies, destroy the data, walk out. It was going well until you saw Wanda getting attacked from behind. But before the agent could point his gun at her and hurt her you shut your eyes close and focused on turning his gun into a flower.
“Romantic!”
“You’re welcome”, you playfully roll your eyes. You curse yourself for having no other - less with love connected - idea to use. You scream just before a grenade goes up next to you, throwing you through a glass door. You can’t use your teleportation in time and the impact is pretty hard, causing you to pass out.
Wanda turns after hearing your scream. “Shit, shit, shit Romanoff!”, she activates her comms, “Guys, pick us up, (Y/N) is down!” She stands protectively next to your unconscious body, defending you from getting attacked or worse.
— — —
You wake up in the medical wing of the Avengers. The first thing you notice is that you’re still wearing your suit, so the injury couldn‘t be that bad. At least you thought. Only seconds later you feel the banging in your head, ringing sounds in your ears. You bury your face in the pillow, frustrated of being new and your first mission already gone wrong. You could hear them teasing you for being the “weaker” Romanoff and start rethinking the choice to even get on this team.
And then Wanda walks in and all thoughts are gone. No more noises, no hammering - all senses preoccupied with her. She seems tired, still wearing her suit as well, and exhausted.
“Hi.”
“Hey.” You look at her curious. “You look tired.”
She chuckles lightly. “You pass out and the first thing you comment is how I look? Wow.”
“What can I say, you really make me concentrate on other things than my condition.” She looks confused at your statement, though an amused smile on her lips. “Because you’re a known face- family- and that reminds me of my sister and gives me comfort.”, you stutter complete nonsense.
Did i really just say that?!
You wished she wasn’t standing there, then you would have been able to facepalm yourself as hard as you could.
“Oh, eh, sure. I’m tired, you were right. You were unconscious the whole night. I stayed, I thought it would be nice for you to not wake up alone.” She tries to overplay your weird comment.
“The whole night? Holy shit. I was unconscious for that long i-”, you feel your whole body tingling as you just now realize her purpose, “that’s very nice of you. Thank you.”
“No, no (Y/N). I owed you that. You saved me...thank you.”
“Wanda Maximoff, you do have manners after all.“ She playfully rolls her eyes on your comment and glances at the floor in embarrassment. „You’re welcome. You would have done the same - I hope?”
She giggles and you can’t help but smile like an idiot at that adorable sound. Then you just stare at each other, both too shy to break the comfortable silence. But then Wanda speaks up again.
“You know I’m-”, she starts fidgeting with her rings, “I’m sorry. For being such a bitch. I.. appreciate what you said… earlier. I guess I was just hurt and frustrated.“
“I know Wanda. Don’t be sorry. You have every right to be mad. It was wrong to expect that we could pretend like nothing happened back there in Sokovia.”
After a short silence Wanda asks, almost in a whisper: “Do- do you regret it?”
“What?! No! Loving you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. As a friend. But also more.”, you shake your head as if to underline your sentence and the last part of the sentence coming out almost inaudible, but she still hears it.
Wanda says nothing, she just nodds. But then she slowly moves her hand to your own and takes it. Ignoring the butterflies spreading all over your body, you squeeze her hand, happy you both stopped fighting. You shuffle to the edge of the sickbed and pat to the free place next to you. The Sokovian hesitantly moves next to you, but as soon as she feels your warm body next to her, she gives in and relaxes. You both lie there, just enjoying each other’s presence, until Wanda’s eyes start to get heavier and heavier and she eventually drives off to sleep. And seeing her, the girl you love, in this peaceful state relaxes you as well and you can’t fight falling asleep with the calming sound of her steady breathing next to you.
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Part 2
212 notes · View notes
stuckybarton · 3 years
Text
Red Velvet Cake
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Summary:   Behind the sweet smile and angelic personality was a spitfire when someone dared destroy her little bakery in the heart of New York. Steve finds that out the hard way when his girlfriend's bakery becomes collateral damage in a small fight in New York. Warning: Profanities. Mild Violence. (Two Loud Slaps to be specific). Grammar Errors. Not Beta’d. Characters: Unnamed Female Character x Steve Rogers Words: 1,775 A/N: I don’t know, I just thought of this idea and thought why not. Masterlist
You had never thought your life would become this wild, but you've gone with the flow. Who would have ever thought that finally starting this bakery in the heart of New York. It was tough, with just a handful of employees, would bring you into so much chaos in your once peaceful life.
Meeting the Avengers had been a wild ride with a smooth beginning for you. First meeting Sam, a man that was looking for a quick snack post-work out. A man with a soft smile and quick quips that brought a smile on everyone's faces every single time he would come to visit. Then eventually, he came not alone, but with two of his best friend and your life changed ever since.
Bucky Barnes was the mellow of the trio, preferring to stay in the background while Sam would try his hardest to flirt with you and push his other friend with you. But he always had this charm on him that had a few of your female employees swooning just by the simply nickname of Doll he would throw at them.
But Sam's other friend had all his attention on you just as much as you had your entire attention on him. The dame that always spoiled him with sweets and made him enjoy morning runs more now that your bakery become their daily stop after.
It started out with the flirtation, at least that was what Steve believed it to be. Having been used to Sam's daily flirtation, you got so immune to it that it had become easier to hide the warmth in your cheeks or the heart eyes that Sam and Bucky were once quick to point out when Steve wasn't looking. Eventually it ended with him finally asking you out for lunch and the rest, as they say was history between the two of you.
Eventually, it had brought you into the circle of what was his team. The Avengers. Starting with one Tony Stark that had visited your bakery one fair morning and brought everything in your bakery long before the trio would come for their visit. It was an eventful day for you, that much you could admit. Everyone had the rest of the day to themselves and gave you time to spend with Steve, as annoyed as he was to not be able to have his usual treats. You made him your special apple pie as compensation, much to his enjoyment.
Then it was the rest of the team, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, and Vision. Visiting after getting a taste of your pastries that Tony Stark had generously provided for the team. Now like the trio, you now have another trio you can call as your regulars. Then there was Clint Barton, Thor, and Dr. Bruce Banner that eventually came to visit after everyone had egged them on and they would come for a few pastries and coffee, but not as much as the rest of the bunch. You were alright with that, being able to meet Steve's team and knowing each and every single one of them were good people in their own little way was enough for you.
Weeks turned into months, and months now turned to almost two years. Your life at the bakery was filled with ups and downs just as much as your relationship with one Steve Rogers. The constant fear you had when he was on a mission, uncertain whether he would come back alive or not.  Then there was the more often than not times that you were too consumed with the bustling number of customers than you only had time to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before helping out on the cashier. It had once been a fight between the two of you because of your line of work, but you would constantly compromise. He was out saving the world while you were living the dream you had always wanted for yourself with baking. Instead of his apartment in Brooklyn, Steve was now living with you, in the humble little apartment you had above the bakery. Your little piece of heaven.
This life you had created with Steve was something you had never thought you'd have for yourself but you were enjoying it immensely. You would want nothing more in your life. Until things had gone horribly bad and you want nothing more than to kill Steven Grant Rogers and the rest of the Avengers.
~
Y/N was going to kill him. That much Steve had known while they continued on with the debriefing. A quarter of New York City was wiped clean by the attack of the alien overlord attempting their luck on the planet. As much as Tony had assured that they could stay in the tower while repairs were being made, He was still uncertain with what you would be feeling because of it.
Nothing hurts him more than seeing you sad or disappointed.
"What's the ETA on the repair?" he inquired as soon as the meeting was done.
"More or less two weeks. We've had our team assure Y/N that her employees would be paid full for the two weeks while we are doing repairs." Tony explained. "Last time I heard she barely spoke a word while she helped her employees with cleaning up."
Steve could only sigh, annoyance peaking through his mind. It was worst than he thought.
"Mister Stark, Ms. Y/L/N is on her way to the meeting room." F.R.I.D.A.Y announced.
Before the A.I could finish with the announcement, the sudden slam of the door had everyone's head turn, every single one ready for another fight. But the sight of the innocent Y/N looking displeased brought everyone to a slight calm. There was still a problem, but this was better than another alien attack.
"Babe-"
The resounding slap had everyone else wincing. So much for the Super Serum. Everyone could see the red imprint on Steve's face and your shaky hand responsible for the said mark on the Captain's face.
"Your fucking shield destroyed the ramekins." you snapped, Steve could practically see you shaking from where you stood in front of him.
You were nothing, compared to him, a Super Soldier. But just the sight of you, fuming to the nose made everyone believe that you can easily take him on. This was a genuine surprise for Steve. He had seen so much side of his girlfriend of nearly two years. Through many stages of emotional turmoil, happiness, sadness, annoyance, dysphoria, and that godforsaken puppy dog eyes that he could never say no to. But this, the sight of you  angry, genuinely furious was the last thing he would have ever thought to see from you.
"Everyone has a long day, Y/N." Tony approached and the glare than now focused on her made it very well known that his presence and his response was the biggest mistake he has ever made in the moment. "Why don--"
Tony wasn't able to finish his sentence as he gets to experience the same slap handed to him by you. Without the Super Soldier Serum, the sound of the slap resounded even louder than the former. Everyone was left in a mix of shock and the need to hold in their laughter at the shock look than now lingered on Tony's face as he rubbed his red cheek.
"As for you," you snapped pointing your finger right into Tony. "You're going to pay for both the fuckin bakery and my apartment upstairs. Of all the places Stark, you just had to throw the alien on my newly renovated bathroom."
Tony could only nod.
"Your people also need to talk to my employees, some of them are injured because a big fucking green dickhead thought it would be nice to throw alien matters into the basement like basketballs through the hoops." you snapped side-glancing towards the guilty Bruce Banner that refused to make any eye contact with you. "You're covered for their hospital bills, therapy, and two weeks of their supposed shift."
Tony gaped nodding.
"Jesus, why the fuck does it always have to be New York, better yet, why the hell does it have to be in the US? There are so many fucking countries in this world." You ranted turning your attention back to Steve that now broke into a small smile at your outburst. "You're not off the hook. We're staying here, but you're sleeping on the coach until further notice."
What smile he had now comes falling from his face. Blinking, this was a dangerous situation. Far more dangerous than his earlier encounter with the aliens only hours ago. But all he could do was nod, not knowing if any protest from him would result in a worst punishment.
"Sam," you turned to the man that now looked scared to be your focus. "Can you show me to the kitchen? I'll try making everyone someone to eat. God knows you're all starving." you request, all signs of anger now slowly dissolving from your features.
Steve didn't know what scared him more at this point, your anger or how quick you were able to recover from said anger. As Sam escorted you out of the meeting room, the rest of the team also made their way out to help you in whatever you may need in the kitchen. It now left Steve and Tony alone, practically still feeling the aftermath of your slap.
"Having second thought about proposing, Lover Boy?" Tony finally broke the awkward silence.
Taking a deep breath, the first chuckle all day finally escaped his lips.
No, he was far from having second thoughts. The engagement ring hidden in his locker room made it evident to him what he was about to do on their 2nd anniversary. It would take some convincing on your part after what happened. But you loved him enough to forgive him for what happened, since technically it wasn't really his fault why the bakery was ruined.
"The proposal is still a go, Tony." he responds finally leaving the meeting room to making his way to the kitchen, already hard at work with cooking what he assumed was spaghetti and meatballs and his favourite red velvet cake.
"Steve's not having any cake right?" Nat asked as soon as she caught sight of him.
"You know what, Romanoff--"
"Not even a fucking crumb." Your response even with you facing away from him had everyone roaring in laughter and Steve rolling his eyes even with the smile on his lips growing bigger at the situations.
The things he has to endure for love.
262 notes · View notes
amazingmaeve · 3 years
Text
atelophobia
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atelophobia is the fear of imperfection. the fear of never being good enough
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request - hello !! i've been wanting to see more sam wilson fics so do you mind if i request a soulmate au one and y/n and sam are frenemies of somesort? 🥺
summary:
y/n and sam haven’t been the best of friends. he always annoyed her and she annoyed him. he hates how snippy she is, she hates how sarcastic he is. however some jokes of his make her crack a rare smile and sometimes he catches that. two people made for each other.
warnings - angst, fluff
word count - 3.2k
a/n - its an au so no endgame/infinity war stuff happened. also no thanos. it’s my first time writing for marvel so go easy on me! also a happy late birthday to sam as well!
marvel masterlist // sam wilson masterlist
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“Why did you assign me with Wilson,” Y/N seethed out questioning the man in front of her. Her arms are crossed on her chest with anger burning in her eyes.
The man before her, Steve Rogers, raises an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. Sure the meeting was already done but he didn’t expect her to be this angry about it. Steve thought that Y/N and Sam were getting along better now and this could help them get along even better. But apparently he was wrong.
“I thought you two were okay,” Steve asked, confused in his voice as she rolled her eyes.
She didn’t hate Sam. No one could really hate Sam. But sometimes he got on her nerves and she has a short temper and the conversation usually ends up in an argument with both of them stomping away. Y/N was always serious about the work so no one would get hurt.
So it irked her when Sam would be casually joking while on a rescue mission or a mission in general. While Sam hated how Y/N would never have any fun, yes Sam did take his work very seriously but he wanted to make the time more bearable for everyone.
So when Y/N snaps at him whenever he makes a joke or just laughs in general he gets kinda pissed off about it. She’s just so unbearable sometimes that it increased his anger even more.
For the past few months everything was fine between them. Of course not finding her soulmate was bad. She hated feeling alone while couples scattered across the Avengers tower. Y/N would roll her eyes everytime Wanda asked if she ever wanted a soulmate and she would respond no. She thought that all the time ‘I don’t need anybody’ but deep down she wanted to have someone to love her and to love someone.
At least there were some Avengers who haven’t found the one.
Sam this last month has been growing on Y/N. He’s been more nice and actually funny in her eyes. He would crack jokes at the right time which would make her let a little laugh out much to Sam’s confusion. It was common that Y/N didn’t smile often. But then everything changed.
One mission which was a rescue mission ended up real bad. It was a mission that only her and Sam attended since everyone thought it would be easy. But Y/N turned the corner and had a fist to the face, she attempted to grab the gun she dropped but the guy shot her in her stomach making her lay down on the floor, holding the wound. Blood was seeping out of it fast and she could feel her vision get real blurry.
Y/N thought she would die there on the floor and she was fine with it as long as Sam got the hostages home safe and him safe as well.
But when she felt herself almost get lulled into unconsciousness a figure appeared before her and soon she realized it was Sam. He looked down both halls to make sure no one was coming before kneeling down before her worriedness in his eyes.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Sam reassured, putting pressure on the wound. His words sounded like he was talking far away. Tears quickly blurred her vision as soon she realized he wasn’t going to get the hostages.
“You-you have to…..” Y/N began to say but flinched when Sam put even more pressure on the oozing wound.
“Don’t talk you can’t waste your energy,” Sam interrupted her and then picked her up bridal style and began to walk her out of the building. Y/N flinched and looked back to see if she saw the hostages anywhere but her vision was getting blurred again.
“The-the hostages,” Y/N stuttered though pain and biting into her lip from screaming out in pain.
“There fine I got everyone in there handled,” Sam reassured as they reached out doors and then lifted himself up and flew across the sky towards the Quinjet that got them there. Y/N closed her eyes and hid her face in his neck as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her heart was pounding as pain pulsed through her body. God she hoped the people were safe.
Then out of nowhere Y/N and Sam heard an explosion and Sam turned around to see the building that was just standing there was up in flames and smoke. Before Y/N could do anything she passed out in his arms as the pain began to get too much for her.
When Y/N woke up Steve was there with Natasha and he explained to her that the hostages unfortunately passed because there was the explosion.
Y/N felt tears fill her eyes as she sat up on the hospital bed. Steve and Natasha left to give her some space as she wondered where Sam could’ve gone. If she would’ve been more aware of her surroundings she wouldn’t have gotten shot and they would've got everyone out safe and fine. She failed them. And she failed her whole team.
Of course she was angry with Sam after this, he should’ve left her there so more people could’ve lived. But she was more angry at herself. She couldn’t face Sam or anyone for a few days. Y/N was awkward around Sam and had anger radiating off her while she talked to anyone. So people avoided her.
That’s why she didn’t want to be paired with Sam. She didn’t want to have history repeat itself.
“I’m sorry Y/L/N but you’re going to have to face him someday,” Steve apologized. He saw how affected she was about this and maybe Sam could help her get over it since he was there with her when it happened.
“Fine,” Y/N scoffed, bumping into his shoulder as she walked off to her room to get ready for this mission.
Her heart was beating as she started to get more and more nervous about this whole thing. She didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of her. She didn’t want anyone to die. So she wouldn’t be having Sam’s jokes or his snide remarks this day, she needs to be on point.
Y/N got all of her weapons ready before walking out of her room and finally reaching the Quinjet where Sam was sitting down cleaning his guns out. Once he heard her enter the room a smirk graced his lips.
“Look who finally decided to show up,” Sam laughs, turning around to look at her but only finding her face clenching in anger. His brow furrowed in confusion not knowing what was going on with her.
“Let’s get this over with,” Y/N grumbled, taking a seat and getting all of her weapons in place. Sam snickered at her attitude with confusion all over his face.
Of course he knew that Y/N was upset but Sam thought she was over it by now, but he hasn’t seen her this past few weeks but he heard from Bucky that she was in a horrible mood. Sam sighed before going to sit next her which made her huff out of annoyance.
“Okay what’s your problem,” Sam snapped, turning to face Y/N who had shock written all over her face.
“Nothing,” Y/N lied straight through her teeth, not meeting Sam’s gaze which was burning a hole into the side of her head. She didn’t want to tell him that the reason she’s all broody is because of her own failure.
“I know you’re lying so just tell me the truth so we can at least tolerate each other,” Sam says frustration running through his veins as he rubs his forehead.
When Y/N didn’t respond Sam scoffed.
“Fine let’s just get through this and I’ll talk to Steve about us never going on a mission again,” Sam retorted then standing up and sitting on the other side of the Quinjet.
Y/N looked at him in shock, even though she showed signs that she didn’t like working with him, he was really fun. Now because of her own insecurities and failures she’s going to lose an incredible friend or enemy depends on how you see it. Of course Y/N knew it wasn’t his fault, it was her own. Y/N had to prove that she isn’t this failure that Sam or Steve sees in her.
She saw it in Steve's eyes when she was in the hospital and she believes that she just saw it in Sam’s eyes just now. Deep down she knows she’s a failure and it cuts to her deep to the core to even think about admitting it. The mission she failed just proves it to herself and everyone else even more. God she can’t even do her own job right.
Ever since Y/N was young she was all about being perfect. The perfect grades, the attitude, and eventually to try to be the perfect fighter. Imperfection haunted her as the people in her life, she believed were better than her and sometimes didn’t even like her. Steve usually didn’t talk to her unless it’s work, same with Natasha. Bucky never talks to her, Tony’s too busy in the lab, same as Bruce. Wanda was very sympathetic towards her though since she’s looked through Y/N’s mind. Wanda and Y/N are friends and Wanda is her only friend. Vision was more of an acquaintance.
Sam was different though. She felt the need to prove herself to him. Y/N didn’t know why she felt this since she never felt this towards anyone on the team so why should it matter what he thinks. Sam was an enigma to her, he was an amazing fighter and had this charming personality that made her want to smile but she was too stubborn to do so.
This fear of imperfection ruins things in her life sometimes.
The mission was a success and Y/N gave it her all as she got everyone out okay and the bad guys were all on the way to prison. But it filled that whole in her heart, it didn’t prove anything to her or to anyone.
So whenever she feels frustrated she goes to the gym and let’s all of her frustration on the boxing bag. Y/N is usually here often. She likes to stay fit and it acts as some sort of therapy to her. While she was too busy punching the bag someone entered the room and she didn’t even hear it.
“Damn what did that punching bag ever do to you,” Sam’s voice rang through her ears and she dropped her arms to her side and let out a long sigh before turning to face him. He was in his usual work out gear with a smirk spreading across his lips.
“It broke my heart and dumped a year ago,” Y/N responded, a sarcastic tone in her face as her arms crossed around her chest. Sam let out a laugh at her monotone voice and clearly didn’t seem amused.
“That is the first time I’ve ever heard a joke,” Sam chuckled.
“What are you talking about? I'm a very amusing person,” Y/N let out a tiny smile on her lips.
“Who told you that lie,” Sams’ eyes narrow in confusion.
“Piss off Wilson,” Y/N grumbled wondering why she was joking around with the man. But that conversation caused some butterflies in her stomach. She turned around and bent over to grab her stuff.
When she turned around it showed the soul mark that has been there ever since she turned 18. To Sam’s dismay and his eyes widened in shock as the soul mark matched the same to his on his shoulder. Before he could even mutter a word Y/N left the gym giving him a sarcastic smile.
Sam just stood there in shock. His soulmate has been there all along and he didn’t even notice it. He didn’t know how to feel about it, of course he found Y/N attractive and her attitude was sometimes tolerable. But she made it very clear she was all work and no play. Deep down he knew he felt something for her even before he found out about the soul mate crap.
“Sam you okay,” Steve waved a hand in front of his face trying to get his attention. Sam blinked, rubbing his eyes and nodded at Steve's question.
“Pair me with Y/N for the next mission please,” Sam bluntly asked and shock was written all over the captain's face.
“But you told me last night-,” Steve began to say as he looked at him confused.
“Just please do it and don’t tell her she’ll just get all pissy about it,” Sam asked with a pleading look on his face. Sam narrowed his eyes but nodded anyway.
“Your secrets are safe with me,” Steve promised.
Over the next few days Sam has been trying to talk to Y/N but she always seemed to be in her room and it was clear she didn’t want anyone in there. He needed to talk to her about this, he’s been looking for his soulmate for years and he has to do something about it. Sam’s sure that she has no idea about it since she probably would be more awkward around her.
For her next mission Y/N wasn’t sure who her team mate for this one would be. She was hooping it would be Wanda since she was more comfortable around her than anyone else. Though she wanted to resolve this situation with Sam but was too stubborn to do it.
As she walked to the Quinjet she felt her heart drop as she thought she knew that Sam was going to be there. Even though it was tough to admit she liked Sam’s jokes and his whole persona. He wasn’t even that annoying to her but she has built up so much walls to protect her heart from anyone so she wouldn’t get hurt.
“I thought you didn’t want to work with me anymore,” Y/N stated as she entered the Quinjet and saw Sam sitting there with his leg jittering. He jumped not knowing that she entered the room and relaxed when he saw it was her.
Y/N didn’t blame Sam that he didn’t want to work with her.
“I need to talk to you before we go to this mission okay,” Sam firmly stated, making her eyes furrow as she had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about.
“Okay,” Y/N stated she tried to shake the shock off of her body. She sat next to him since he needed to talk about something. “What do you need to talk about,” She asked fiddling with her thumbs.
“About your soul mark,” Sam softly said resting one of his hands on top of hers making sparks flow through her whole body. It felt weird and she didn’t know. She didn't even know why he wanted to know about her soul mark.
“What about it,” Y/N asked curious as the pad of his thumb rubbed comforting circles on the top of her hand.
“I have the same one,” Sam whispers looking directly in her eyes and at first Y/N thinks this is one of his jokes so she let’s a little giggle out at it. But when he wasn’t laughing with her she looked at him with an un comprehensive look on her face.
“What,” Y/N says as she tries to remove her hand from his but he caught and gave it a squeeze. With a sigh he released her hand and lifted up his shirt to show his shoulder that the soul mark was placed. He bent over the seat he was in a bit to let her get a good look at it.
She was shocked as she stared at his back. Her soulmate was Sam Wilson and man she thought she despised and despised her. Her fingers trailed across the skin and kept staring at the mark. It was identical to hers. Goosebumps fluttered across Sam’s skin as she caressed his skin.
“How,” Y/N whispered as she removed her hand and he sat up straight pulling his shirt down.
“Well everyone’s got a soul mark when they’re born-,” Sam smirked as he started to respond to her question.
“Not like that,” Y/N smacked his arm.
“You’ve been working out haven’t you,” Sam grabbed his shoulder faking a wince. “Okay okay I’ll be more serious,” He put his hands up in defense. “I just can’t believe that my soulmate has been here all this time,” He says in disbelief.
“You don’t want me,” Y/N blurted out as she stood up and walked to the middle of the room as Sam stayed sitting down for the moment. His shoulders slumped as his face was contorted into disbelief.
“And how do you know what I want,” Sam fired back, crossing his arms.
“I just do and you won’t want somebody like me,” Y/N snapped, used her hand and pointed to herself and rested her hand on her heart which was racing.
“Why are you so closed off,” Sam fumed, standing up walking in front of her, his stance matching hers. “Why won’t you let anyone in,” He snapped, glaring at her. He hated the way he was talking to his soulmate but he needed some reasons.
“Because I’m a failure,” Y/N shouted as tears brimmed her eyes. “I couldn’t help those hostages. I don’t even know why I’m an Avenger, I suck so bad,” She ran her hands through her hand and tugged on the roots.
Sam stood there flabbergasted as Y/N turned around and cupped her mouth to keep the sobs in. She knew this was gonna happen, this has been building in her for a long time and it was about time that the volcano exploded.
“You’re not a failure,” Sam says still in disbelief that she would think this about herself. He walked so that he was standing in front of her and cupped her cheeks in his hands. He wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. But she had them closed not wanting to give into him. “You’re one of the most badass women that I know. And even though you can have a snippy attitude I know that you want to help people,” Sam softly says pressing his lips to her forehead making her shiver from the electricity.
“How can you think that I’ve been horrible to you,” Y/N says her voice hoarse from crying.
“I also know how dedicated to work you are and that I can disturb that sometimes,” Sam smiles, removing his hands from her cheeks.
“That doesn’t make it okay,” Y/N nervously chuckles looking up at him as she feels heat crawl all over her body.
“How bout this you make it up to me by buying me a coffee,” Sam bargains a smile plastered on his face.
“Are you asking me out,” Y/N asks, feeling a bit of giddy in her.
“Depends on the answer,” Sam shrugs. She gives him a smile before leaning up and pressing her lips to his and putting her hand on his neck. His hands go to her hips as they stand there and kiss.
The Quinjet flying off breaks the two apart with smiles on their faces. The tears that were once there have been dried away and her heart was feeling better.
“I’m guessing that was a yes.”
116 notes · View notes
slowly-writing · 4 years
Text
Get Through It
Natasha Romanoff x Reader
Word count: 3.2K
Requested by anon: Hi, could I request a natasha romanoff x fem reader where reader is from the red room and was trained to become a 2.0 version of the black widow and is well known for how successful and deadly she is. She is Natasha's long term girlfriend and informant inside the red room, which is unknown to the red room, the other avengers and SHIELD (maybe asides from Clint or Fury) until she breaks in the Avengers tower, with the avengers perceiving her as a threat until natasha tackles her, confusing them.
“I don’t want you to go back,” Natasha’s voice is quiet, not wanting to break the bubble you’ve formed in the few minutes you’re able to spend together.
“I know love. Just a few more weeks and we should be able to take them down for good, then I’ll be able to leave. I’ll be with you,” you promise and she nods, tightening her grip on your waist as you pull her impossibly closer to you.
“Just five more minutes.” You smile at Natasha’s words.
“Five more minutes,” you agree.
You’d met Natasha at a young age. You were brought into the Red Room a few years after her, she even trained you for a while before she broke out. Not long after she left she showed back up on one of your missions. She told you about the people she worked for now and how they needed your help. You immediately agreed. You’d do almost anything to end the program that ruined your life, you wanted out. Unfortunately for you, the plan involved leaving you there to be a mole for an unspecified amount of time. Neither you nor Natasha liked it, wanting you to be safe, wanting to be together, but you made it work. She’d come find you when they sent you on missions, and you’d steal a few moments together wherever you could. She helped you cope with the people you had to kill in order to maintain your cover, collateral damage, Fury had called them. It made you sick, but it was the only way to survive. If the instructors of the red room even vaguely suspected you disobeying their orders they’d kill you as soon as look at you.
Natasha didn’t know exactly what was happening inside the red room anymore, all she knew was that they had upped security since she left and things had gotten a lot worse. Fury wouldn’t let her in on the briefings he had with you, he said it was a conflict of interest and you refused to talk about what you were going through. When Natasha left the instructors had been furious. She was their greatest accomplishment and they knew it was only a matter of time before she returned with an army to take them down. So training was doubled and punishments were tripled. Everyone’s life became a living hell. Well, more of one. They were determined to be ready and you, having been the only one trained by her, got the brunt of the attention. They decided you’d be the new project and while Natasha didn’t know exactly what was wrong, she knows it’s bad, and it breaks her heart.
xxxxx
“Y/l/n, stand,” you’re startled out of your slumber and you’re on your feet in seconds, standing at attention. You know not to speak as you wait for instructions, if they decided to wake you up before everyone else then they weren’t happy, and you’re not about to piss them off.
“You will be training the new recruits today. They are sloppy and undisciplined, we expect you to fix that,” you’re told and you clench your jaw, not letting the words you want to say slip out. Not snapping that the new recruits are all below seven years of age, of course they’re all undisciplined. Of course they’re sloppy, they were brought here against their will to become killing machines. You know the nightmare they’re living through. You’ve been there before, and it’s because of that experience that you know anything you say won’t be taken against you. The children will receive the punishment. So you hold your tongue.
“Yes ma’am,” your voice is firm, hiding the pain and anger with an ease that only comes from years of experience.
“Training starts at 0500. Get ready,” they say before leaving your room. You look down at your watch, you have half an hour.
xxxxx
“Again.” your voice is firm, your face emotionless. You’re watching the young girls spar and pretending it doesn’t break your heart. You don’t remember much about your life before you came here, the instructors made sure of that, but you know these girls do. They remember the parents they were ripped away from, the normal lives they had, and even if they were bad, they were nothing compared to this. The sound of sniffling catches your attention. You look to your left, seeing a small girl trying to hide her tears. You kneel down in front of her and she stiffens, “hey, you can’t cry.”
“I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t mean too,” her voice is shaking and there are more tears welling up in her eyes. She looks to the floor in an attempt to hide them and you find yourself fighting tears as well.
“I’m not mad,” you promise and she looks up, a sliver of hope in her eyes. “What’s your name?”
“Jackie,” she whispers and you nod.
“It’s going to be okay, Jackie.” You feel eyes on you and you look around, seeing everyone staring at the interaction and you wave them over. “Everyone come here, and be quiet.”
The girls half dozen all gather around you, sitting in a circle and looking every bit the young children they are. You glance behind you, ensuring the doors are closed before you turn back. “You all need to listen very carefully. I know you don’t want to be here, I don’t either. But I’m here to help you get through. I want to help you, but you can’t tell anyone, alright? I know you’re scared but you have to hide it, or you’re gonna get in a lot of trouble. It’s scary but you can get through this. I know you can.”
“I want to go home,” Jackie says and you sigh.
“I know. I do too, but it’s gonna be okay. You hide your emotions from them, but you’re allowed to feel them. Whenever you feel scared or alone, you lean on each other, or you come find me. You’ll get through this together.”
“How did you do it?” another girl asks and you smile softly.
“I had someone to help me through,” you say simply, memories of you and Nat working together to get through everything. As you look at the girls here you promise them silently, you’re gonna shut this down. You’ll get them all home, even if it’s the last thing you do. You hear footsteps coming and your heart stops.
“Everybody up!” Your voice is firm again and they all snap back into attention, knowing it’s time to work. “Again.”
“Y/l/n,” a voice comes from the doorway and you make your way over, “you’re done here for the day. You have a mission.”
“Yes ma’am.” you know not to spare the girls another glance, but you can tell they’re watching you go. You hope you’ll be back soon.
“There is an individual out there who poses a threat to everything we do here, more than anyone in the past. This mission requires a firm hand, that’s why you have been chosen. You will find your target and you will take her out, before she destroys everything,” the instructor says as you walk. When you enter the briefing room you see the photos of your target, and you feel sick.
xxxxx
“Intruder alert! An unidentified individual is in the elevator, approaching the common room.” Friday’s voice announces throughout the tower and everyone snaps into action, the movie they had been watching instantly forgotten as they prepare for a fight. Tony’s suit assembles around him and Clint grabs one of the many bows he has stashed around the tower. Steve’s shield appears out of nowhere and Natasha grabs a knife out of her boot and they all wait for the elevator doors to open with bated breath.
When the doors open there are three very different reactions from the people in the room. Natasha drops her knife and practically jumps into the intruder's arms, Clint lowers his bow and rolls his eyes fondly, while everyone else tenses up even more.
“What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Russia. Did they send you on a mission here?” Natasha rapid fires questions, and the grin on your face only grows.
“I’m out. All the instructors from the red room are with Fury, on the way to the raft. All the girls are going to headquarters for interrogation,” you say proudly and Natasha steps out of your arms, taking both your hands in hers and trying to hide the tears in her eyes.
“It worked?” Her voice is barely above a whisper, and you nod.
“It worked.” With that she’s crashing her lips into yours, only pulling away when someone loudly clears their throat.
“Not to break up whatever this is but…what is this?” Tony asks and you try to stifle a laugh at the fear on the faces of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
“Agent y/l/n, nice to meet you,” you say simply and they all continue to stare.
“Uh, yeah. We’re gonna need a bit more than that because we all know who you are. We want to know what you’re doing here and why you’re so...friendly with Romanoff,” Steve says and you don’t hold back the laughter now.
“I’m y/n, I work with shield. I’ve been undercover in Russia the last few years taking down the training facility Natasha and I got our start in. I earned the reputation you all clearly have heard of, but I’m working on changing that, same as Nat. I would’ve left sooner but Fury ordered me to stay there,” you explain and he furrows his brow.
“The most prolific assassin of our time appears in our living room and says she’s on our side. You understand that we can’t believe that, right?” Bruce says and you shrug, attempting to remain calm about the situation.
“I mean, it’s obvious I’m not a stranger. You really think I’d still be standing here if Nat thought I was a threat? Seriously, have any of you met her? She’s the second best assassin in Russia,” you tease her and she rolls her eyes. “Anyway, you can call Fury if you want. He’ll back me up.”
“Why don’t you call him?” Steve is still skeptical and you let out a slow breath. This interrogation is getting really annoying.
“I’ve lived within an underground school training as an assassin for the last sixteen years of my life, three of which I spent undercover trying to take them down from the inside. Do you really think I’m dumb enough to have something as tracable as a cell phone?” your voice is calm but you’re anything but. Natasha takes your hand, trying to pull you out of the glaring match you’re engaged in.
“Alright. Sounds good, see you then,” you all catch the end of Clint’s phone call as he steps back into the room. None of you had even seen him leave. “Fury’s on his way. He had to stop at the raft but he should be here in the next few hours. It’s nice to see you again y/l/n. You okay?”
“You too Barton, and yeah. Just a few scrapes and bruises, nothing some time won’t fix. How is…everything” you trail off, unsure if the people around you know about his family.
“Laura’s good, the kids too. Don’t worry about them. They all found out a few weeks ago,” he explains and you nod.
“Now that I’m out I’d love to meet them sometime, put some faces to all the stories,” you suggest and Clint smiles, nodding in agreement.
“Okay, enough questions. I’m sure you’re exhausted, I’ll take you up to my room. You can rest there until Fury arrives,” Natasha pulls you away from the group and down a few hallways, effectively ending the conversation. She enters what you assume is her room and you smile softly as you take it in. It’s pretty simple, almost no decorations and it’s perfectly organized. You know where that habit came from, and you think about how tidiness has been beaten into your brain as you remove your shoes and carefully set them next to a pair of hers by the end of the bed. When you turn to her you see several emotions crossing her face.
“I know you must have questions,” you say quietly, sitting on the edge of her bed.
“I mean yeah, I have questions. You show up here out of nowhere? We weren’t supposed to take them down for weeks, what changed? I was supposed to help, I was as much part of this as you were. I should have been there,” her voice is shaking, a mix of fear and anger making its way through and you sigh.
“I know you wanted to be in on it. I wanted you to be there, you deserved that closure, but my next mission-” you cut yourself off, shaking your head. You grit your teeth as you try and push your last meeting with your instructors out of your head. “We couldn’t wait anymore.”
“I understand you wanted to leave, I was trying to convince Fury to move up the date as well. I just don’t get what made you feel the need to keep me out of it!” Natasha yells and you’re on your feet in a second.
“You were my next mission!” A heavy silence falls over the room. You’re practically shaking, tears of anger gathering in your eyes as Natasha stares in silence. “That’s why I couldn’t wait.”
“I don’t…” Natasha trails off. You can see the confusion on her face and you step forward, gently taking her hand, but avoiding her eyes. You may be angry, but not at her.
“They’ve never forgiven you for leaving. I was called into a briefing a few days ago. When I walked into the room and they had pictures of you on the board, from missions, here in New York, from the times you met me on my missions. They’ve been trailing you for months. It’s a miracle they hadn’t seen us together. They knew they’d never get you back. They’ve been trying for years and so it was decided if you wouldn’t come willingly we’d take you out. I’d take you out,” you clarify with a shaky breath. “You’re too big of a threat and they knew I was the only one who could…That’s why it had to be now. That’s why you couldn’t be there.”
“Y/n,” Natsha tries but you shake your head, releasing her hand and stepping away.
“I’m tired. Can we talk about this later?” you ask with your back to Natasha and she sighs. She knows she won’t be hearing anything about this anytime soon. Not from you at least, but she nods.
“Of course, get some rest.”
xxxxx
“Now that this is all cleared up, you’re free to go. I think you have earned a vacation,” Fury finishes and you laugh.
“What, you mean all of your agents don’t spend sixteen years on assignment?” you tease and he smirks a bit, it’s the closest you’ve ever seen to a smile. “Thank you sir. I’d like to follow up with the girls if that’s all right, especially the younger ones. I promised I’d get them home.”
“You’re welcome to. Several of them have been asking about you. Other than that you’re free to go. You’ll be contacted with any further questions,” he says before walking out the door followed by the team, leaving you and Natasha alone in the conference room.
You relax into your chair and let out a sigh of relief, “we did it.”
“You did it,” Natasha corrects. “I knew you would. Now, I think it’s time to properly introduce you to the team. Ya know, now that they know you’re not here to kill them.”
Natasha offers a hand and you let her pull you up following her into the kitchen where the team is now gathered.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Steve is the first to speak up.
“I understand. I would have reacted the same way, you were trying to protect yourselves. I was trying to do the same,” you explain and everyone feels the tension begin to release. As you settle into conversation you hear a voice coming from the hallway.
“Miss Romanoff!” the unknown voice yells and you instinctively step between Natasha and the threat. A teenage boy comes running into the room, a backpack on his shoulders and a sheet of paper in his hand. A girl around the same age follows him in, much calmer and you stare, they don’t seem like a threat, but you aren’t taking any risks.
“Hey, it’s alright,” Natasha whispers to you, taking your hand before speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. “This is Peter and Wanda, they’re on the team.”
You spin to face her, a look of anger across your face, but she recognizes the pain in your eyes. “They’re kids.”
“Oh god. Another person to make fun of my age? I swear I can keep up, I’m not that young!” At Peter’s complaints you turn back around, looking the two up and down for a moment.
“You’re here willingly?” You ask and Peter’s head tilts to the side, resembling that of a confused puppy.
“Well, yeah. I was gonna show Miss Romanoff my chemistry test, she helped me study for it. I got an A,” he says and the girl behind him, Wanda you remember, steps forward.
“She means on the team,” Wanda looks at you intently, like she knows more than she should and it’s unsettling.
“Wanda, get out of her head,” Steve’s words startle you but he just keeps going. “This is y/n, she trained with Nat.”
“Their training facility had child soldiers, similar to hydra. That is why she was afraid we were here against our will,” Wanda says and you notice her accent, “I was raised in Sokovia. I was brought into Hydra at ten. I came here after.”
“So you just-”
“Know everything you’re thinking? Yes,” she cuts you off and you sigh.
“That’s gonna get annoying. On that note, I have to get to headquarters,” you say and Natasha speaks up.
“Do you have to go now?” she asks and you nod.
“The younger girls...I promised I’d get them home. I promised to be there when they were scared, and I know this is the scariest thing yet,” you tell her and Tony speaks up.
“Surely they’ll be okay for a bit longer. They have to understand that you’ve done enough for them. They may only be teenagers but-”
“They’re seven,” you cut him off, “some even younger. I won’t leave them alone.” The room falls silent as they all stare.
“When you say you’ve been there for sixteen years…” Bruce trails off and you nod.
“I was brought in when I was seven, same as most of the girls there.”
“What kind of sick organization is this?” Tony sounds angry and you smile sadly.
“Why do you think we fought so hard to take it down? Now if you’ll excuse me, I really need to go. Nat, we could use some help if you’re willing?” you ask and she smiles.
“Like I’m letting you go without me.” You smile at her words, taking her hand gently. “Now come on, we’ve got work to do.”
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Text
Love Cuts Deep
Chapter 8- Bastards From Space
Summary: These past couple years in Wakanda with Bucky have been the best. Who would have thought some aliens would be the thing to ruin it all.
Warning: violence, angst, reader being a bad bitch, things get intense
Masterlist
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Today had started as normal as ever, you woke up with Bucky’s arm slung over your face, his body practically covering you like a human blanket. Then you two got out of bed, did your usual morning routines, and started your day with helping the Wakandians with whatever tough job needed done for the next however many hours.
Which as of now happens to be chopping wood; you sit comfortably on a spared thick log while Bucky smashes the Vibranium axe into another chunk of wood while you watch him with a mischievous smirk playing at your lips. “You’re doing a fantastic job with that by the way.”
Bucky sets another one down as a smile pulls at his handsome face, “Oh yeah?”
“Yes, your form is just...amazing.” You applaud, making a chefs kiss motion with your fingers as he chuckles before splitting another hunk in two.
“You know..” Starts Bucky as he sets the axe against his shoulder while you rest your knuckles against your chin, “this would go a lot faster if you helped me.”
“Then I wouldn’t be able to watch you doing your thing....and by the way you look real fine, did I mention that already?” You add with a click of your tongue while he throws you a humored glare of affection.
“I could use your help.”
You point to the wagon seated next to you, “I did, I threw all these bags and split wood in here so now I’m taking my earned break that I obviously get because I finished my job. You on the other hand don’t deserve an earned break.”
Bucky huffs, deciding to ignore your little bout of sass that so unmistakably is targeted to rile him up, so instead does he mumble out something incomprehensible just for himself to hear, “Yeah, and if we were in that hut I’d show you an earned break.”
Snickering, you cross your arms while studying Bucky’s concentrated face; his dark mane is all wet and unwashed, clothes a bit dirty and unkept with some sweat stains marking them from when you two sparred each other that morning. But God if you don’t think he’s the most beautiful creature to have ever walked this earth in your lifetime. How did you ever get so lucky?
He’s been a true beacon of hope and refuge since Romania, and you’re for certain that if not for one another’s found love. You’d both be much lonelier people.
“What’r you thinking about?” Mutters Bucky while you return from your drifting thoughts. Though soon you’re alerted to the sounds of walking in the grass that draws your attention to the hillside. “Why the fuck is T’Challa here?” You move to stand and a moment later King T’Challa and a couple of the Dora Milaje are walking down the grassy hill with something in their arms to greet the two of you. The king of Wakanda appears a tad bit distressed, face unusually more serious then what marks his features most days. You immediately know something is wrong.
Bucky shares a wary glance with you as the king greets you two with a nod, “Mr. Barnes, Miss. Valerious.” One of his guardsmen unclasps the long black case only to reveal a Wakandian styled metal arm.
Bucky purses his lips as he looks down at the new appendage, “Where’s the fight.”
King T’Challa gives the two of you a hard expression, “On it’s way.”
——
After learning about some angry aliens on their way to take the mind stone from Vision, and that a good portion of the rouge Avengers are on their way to Wakanda. You and Bucky knew deep down something wild must be stirring in the universe for something as big as this to happen, something very bad indeed.
You just have no idea what.
Clasping your black armored top together, you move to put on the Wakandian black leathered Vibranium gauntlets that were gifted to you for this special occasion, not that it’s really that special, but you do look cool. The new armor feels solid and stable against your forearm as you focus on tightening the clasps when suddenly you can feel Bucky’s eyes on you.
“I know you’re looking at me.” You muse, side eyeing him.
He smiles, eyes never leaving you as you lock in the armor to your forearm. He studies the brilliant dark attire that’s laced with a vibrant golden hue, “You look like a warrior.” Admits Bucky almost in awe of how you’re currently looking.
You nod, “I’d feel a little out of place next to the Dora Milaje....but uh, this suit is nice.” You add with a shrug, “Comfortable and practical, they really know how to size right.”
“Yeah....” Mumbles Bucky with a breathy laugh while you focus on the task at hand, oblivious as to where his gaze wanders all over your vessel and the parts your new attire ever-so-slightly accentuates. He just thinks you’re so beautiful no matter how you look, and right now, in Bucky’s head you’re one fine specimen. 
“How’s the new arm?”
Bucky’s wandering eyes soon shift down to the new dark plated Vibranium and golden laced metalwork, “Feels light. Like it’s apart of me you know? I still can’t believe how amazing their tech is.”
“I know right..” You pause for a moment, glancing warily over to the clock, “Well, guess we better get moving. Okoye said they’ll be here soon.” Bucky nods before zipping his jacket up the rest of the way and walking over to your side. He stops to buckle down the left side of your Wakandian styled black vest while you happily let him. Enjoying how close he is to you and the adorable way he sticks his tongue out when fully focused on a task.
Once done, Bucky takes a look at his handiwork, reaching to clasp your one hand with his. He smiles though a sadness hides behind those beautiful blues, “To battle?” Whispers Bucky.
Reaching a hand up to place a soft touch against his stubbled cheek, you smile fearlessly, “To battle.”
Soon the two of you are outside of T’Challa’s palace, standing off to the side as the king and his warriors greet the approaching Quinjet as it lands on the stone landing pad. A minute later, you catch the sight of a bearded Steve, a blonde haired Natasha, Sam, Bruce Banner, and lastly Wanda and Vision as they walk out side by side.
Vision looks hurt, and Wanda has a scar above her brow. Wonder what brute did that?
T’Challa welcomes the team before he nods and turns for them to follow, Vision and Wanda walk past you two as you finally see them clearer through the parting crowd, “How we looking?” Asks Natasha as she follows behind the king, Steve to her immediate right, the others following close behind them. 
“You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and...”
“And a semi-stable 100-year-old man.” Quips Bucky as all of you finally come face to face with one another, Steve immediately smiles as you walk next to Bucky. “Plus whatever the hell I am.” You jest as the two of them go in for a hug.
Natasha gives you a smirk as they part, “How you guys been?” Asks Steve, blue eyes flickering between you two.
Bucky looks over at you and shrugs, “Uh, not bad...”
“....for the end of the world.” You deadpan, causing Bucky to chuckle as well as Steve and Natasha.
“Well, it’s nice seeing you guys again...” Adds Steve as Natasha takes a step forward towards you. “We gotta stop meeting each other like this.” Quips the ex-assassin. 
You snort at the little inside joke between the two of you, raising a brow at them, “You know, you guys don’t have to visit just because some aliens are threatening our entire existence. Couldn’t we have saved a reunion for a wedding or something?”
Steve sighs, “Yeah, that would have been preferred.”
“Too bad none of you invited us.” Smirks Natasha as she looks between you and Bucky with a raised brow of her own, his stubbled face growing a small shade of pink while you awkwardly cough, eyes darting elsewhere.
“Yeah, we’re getting there, Nat.” You mutter while rubbing the back of your neck, the thought of marrying Bucky has never actually crossed your mind. You love him, its just, you two married? Actually married? Would he even want that? You have no idea, maybe talking about it before the alien situation would have been helpful in the long run. Too late for that now, guess another time then.
“Alright, come with me upstairs my friends, my sister will see what can be done for your friend.” Adds T’Challa as he takes a step back, Steve, Natasha, and Bruce all following suit and through the doors they go inside to assess the Vision situation upstairs. Leaving Sam and Rodney. 
You watch as Natasha’s body disappears behind the dark glass before turning around to meet a smiling Sam as he wanders closer to you and Bucky. Undoubtedly about to give you two a proper Sam-like greeting, “Nice to see you two weirdos again.” Chuckles Sam as he takes in how much or little you and Bucky have changed since a couple years ago.
“Can’t say the same.” Muses Bucky as you snicker at Sam’s half-offended reaction.
“I guess.....maybe....possibly.....it’s nice to see your annoying face, again.” You add, voice dripping with sarcasm as he nods, “Better then you coming to try and arrest us.”
“Alright, I’ll take it.” He smiles, “At least someone cares about me after all this time.” Side eyeing Bucky as he holds back a laugh.
“Never said that.” You mutter while shaking your head at him, “Definitely did not miss you at all.”
“You were thinking it.” Points Sam, “So was Bucky.”
“I wasn’t.”
About ten minutes later, after fully catching one another up on the happenings missed by the distance and time apart, the hair on the back of your neck pricks with the sound of something large and unfamiliar breaking into the atmosphere above. Soon a smoking metal ship crashes into the forcefield high above your heads, an explosion of fire and debris blasts in its wake as the destroyed object slides off the sides.
“God, I love this place.” Mutters Bucky as the three of you look to the sky.
“Yeah, don’t start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome.” Announces Rodney on the ear coms as your face falls when more blasts crash against the protective outer barrier of Wakanda.
“Fuck......I’ve never met an alien before.” You mumble as they look to you now, your eyes wide and fearful as you stare up at the sky, “And I don’t think I want to.”
Soon more glaring fiery balls come racing past high up in the clouds headed straight for the Wakandian forcefield, violently crashing against it though nothing pierces through much to your great relief. Not even a minute later T’Challa and the rest of the team are on ground level with the rest of you. Urging everyone into the advanced Wakandian vehicles, you file in close to Bucky and Natasha as the driver begins making haste for the huge fields beyond.
Wind flies wildly past your face as you observe the growing smoke rising up from the broken and burning forest from where the aliens have landed, where they’re preparing for battle far behind the protective forcefield.
The hover vehicle reaches its destination on the knee high grass, immediately everyone files out; your boots fall into the soft ground as you find yourself on the field positioned in between Steve and Bucky while the rest of the Wakandian army keeps strong from your left, right and rear.
It’s a small comfort having everyone so near but it still feels like a false protection; Bruce is held in the Hulkbuster suit standing high and strong above the rest, while Rodney and Sam keep to the skies as they circle around in anticipation for what’s to go down.
You wish you felt better about this, but you’d be a lying fool if you claimed to feel dangerous and fearless, you’re not fighting against mortal men this time. These are beasts from a whole other world with no intention of sparing a life, they don’t care for human problems, they’re here for one single goal and that’s to take the mind stone.
Heart beating nervously in your chest, you turn a worried glance over to Bucky who’s holding a large machine gun in his left arm, he sends you a reassuring nod as T’Challa walks over to speak with Steve.
“There’s two by the perimeter, what our next move?”
“We’ve met the female one before, I guess we’ll go see if they can be reasoned with, though I’m afraid of their answer.” Begrudgingly replies Steve, eyes set ahead at two figures approaching the forcefield. One a tall broad scaled being and the other a half pale faced woman with two dark horns rising upward from her temples.
Steve, Natasha, and king T’Challa collectively decide to walk the distance to face them while everyone else remains in suspense. They speak for about a minute before walking back to the rest of you as the giant alien machinery shifts and rises with strange movement.
“They surrender?” Mutters Bucky as Steve takes his place by your side.
“Not exactly.” Well that sounds fucking promising.
Your body begins shaking with adrenaline as loud thunderous rumbling emits from the forest, a second later, large dog-like creatures race madly out of the tree line headed at a dead sprint for the forcefield.
“What the fuck.” You mutter, brows furrowed in confused bewilderment as the foreign creatures slam violently against the forcefield with little regard for what its doing to them.
Natasha hums, “Looks like we pissed her off.”
You nod as some of the beasts force their way through the guarded perimeter, they scream in fury and pain while their bodies and limbs get phased by the power of the giant shield protecting Wakanda.
“They’re killing themselves.” You can hear Okoye mutter in fearful bewilderment as the screaming creatures push through their violent assault, soon about a dozen break through, racing furiously over the shallow river and across the large battlefield to where everyone is standing.
King T’Challa shouts the battle cry as his army calls their technologically advanced shields to arms in an instant. The alien creatures thunder across the grass, getting closer and closer as the army around you begin shooting them down as fast as they can.
Bullets fly past your head as Bucky begins aiming for the beasts, shooting them down with great accuracy as you breath heavily from your growing adrenaline. Sam and Rodney shoot from the sky; you watch more fall but a plethora of others begins running off to the sides as they attempt at searching for an alternative way around the forcefield.
T’Challa realizing this, calls for the opening of North-West Section Seventeen, which is the one right in front of you all. Well this is it then, you think nervously. Dreading how the events of today may play out within the next hour, or ten minutes for all you know.
“This will be the end of Wakanda.” Mutters M’Baku as the section is lifted.
Okoye nods, face stoic and fierce, “Then it will be the most noble ending in history.”
T’Challa steps to the front lines before valiantly shouting, “Wakanda forever!” And with that does the warriors cry with courage and might as everyone including you begins a dead sprint across the grassy field, pumping your arms hard, you feel a thrill of strange excitement pulsing throughout your entire vessel as your boots thunder against the ground in tune with the beasts that charge onward.
Steve races inhumanly fast, you right on his tail as T’Challa makes ground to your immediate right. The rest of your fellow warriors keeping up as best they can. You don’t remember ever unsheathing your claws, or when they sliced violently into the thick skin of the first alien you met.
But soon your hands are covered in the warm inky blood of the creatures you’ve killed as you don’t have time to think, only kill and survive is all your mind is on. You’re practically on autopilot as the beasts thrash and slash at everyone in sight.
Suddenly one of them traps you between it’s bear paws and the rough ground, sharp daggered teeth chomping at your face as you drive your fist straight through it’s jugular and back out again, instantly a spurt of sticky dark purple blood sprays onto the side of your face as you turn away from the gory scene.
Shoving it off of you, another one punts you into the rocky earth, in retaliation you throw a clawed fist right across its shoulder. Making sure to sink it in deep when you reach its stomach. Screams of pain are all you hear as it dies, going still as stone while you jump right back into the action.
Without warning, about three pin you to the ground while you grunt and groan from the weight and their knife sized claws digging into your armored sides, damn you’ve really had better days. Shoving your Adamantium talons right through it’s exposed chest, it immediately goes limp as it’s two friends strain to reach you while it’s annoyingly bulky vessel pins you to the rough ground.
Your lungs struggle to take in a decent breath when suddenly a crack of lighting sounds throughout the battlefield, a second later the large alien bodies are thrown off of you from the force of bright white electricity, killing them instantly.
Sucking in a deep breath of relief and general oxygen, you jump to your feet only to take notice of a blonde man in some type of royal armor with an axe in one hand and sparks of lighting in the other. Oddly enough, a raccoon and a walking humanoid tree to either side as he scans the horizon before turning around and belting out, “Bring! Me! Thanos!” Before taking flight as more electricity sparks and shoots all around him.
Yeah, alright that’s normal. At least they’re on your side.
He lands and a giant plethora of white hot lighting emits all around him, killing many of the alien creatures where they stand. Though there’s no time to celebrate this small victory when giant circular machines of war burst forth from the ground, many going in different directions, but these couple begin heading straight in yours.
Eyes widening in fear, you book it in the opposite direction as T’Challa yells for his men to fall back for the tree line, your heart races a mile a minute as you force yourself to keep running through the exhaustion and slight pain in your left thigh from a heeling bite mark.
But just as the razored metal closes in behind you, a bright whispy red halts it in its place. Turning towards the source, you’re almost comforted to find Wanda at the hands of the machinery’s demise. She yells, throwing her hands back as the metal clashes across the battlefield, killing the beasts as they go.
And she was up there this whole time?
Turning to face more foes, you look over to notice as the female alien stalks across the ruined battlefield towards Wanda at an alarmingly hefty pace, dark rusted yellow eyes set and predatory as she reaches her oblivious prey. Smacking her armored fist across Wanda’s head, the Sokovian tumbles into a ditch, horned lady alien trailing after her.
Shit, you should do something.
Taking out another beast, you book it over to help Wanda, jumping into the wide trench behind the woman, you catch the end of her heated threat to Wanda, “He’ll die alone. As will you.” Venom tripping off of her every word, God why are they so angry?
“She’s not alone.” You growl, face painted with inky purple blood, claws shimmering in the sunlight as she whips around to face you. Her eyes trail over your body as she scowls in deep irritation, before handing her an unfriendly smirk, “Come on you ugly fuck.” You growl.
She lunges at you, weapon drawn as you dodge her deadly blow by the sharp thin blade. She quickly whips around and is kindly greeted by your claws that rips the dull white flesh of her lower face. Blood seeps out as she screams, face flaring a fierce anger as she powers through and thrusts her blade into your left shoulder. Fucking bitch!
You’re immediately greeted with a sharp stinging pain that rips violently into your body from the assault. A boot rudely kicks you backwards onto the hard earth as Okoye smacks her dagger across the woman’s back, distracting her from trying to end your life. Like that would work.
Blood pools hot and angry out of your opened flesh while Okoye and Natasha handle the horned bitch from behind you and Wanda. Your hands push you off the gravely earth as Wanda shares a fearful glance with you, giving her a pursed lip grin. You jump to your feet and assess the escalating situation before you; Okoye is breathing heavily on the ground as Natasha holds back the woman with her shocking stick while pinned on her back, straining to keep the opposing blade away from her throat.
“Hey!” You shout, causing the woman to lift her gaze from Natasha to you, she doesn’t even have a second to react as your clawed fist slashes a deadly blow across her face. She immediately stumbles back in shock as blood spirts wildly out of her deep cuts, her eyes going wide as saucers when you land a powerful kick into her lower torso, sending her body flying upwards only to be mauled by one of the circular razors rolling past.
Blue blood marking your already dirty face, you turn to look down at Natasha as she glances between the three of you, face dotted in blue blood just the same, “That was really gross.” Grimaces the blonde as you give the others a once over before jumping back out into the action.
Minutes fly by as you fight your way to the tree line closest to the Wakandian palace, suddenly Steve’s voice is heard in the coms, “Everyone, on my position. We have incoming.” And with that do you follow Bucky and T’Challa as they race into the woods where Steve, Natasha, Sam, Bruce, and Wanda is protectively holding Vision as they keep seated on the grassy earth.
Collecting your breath, you walk over to Bucky as everyone feels a soft hunting breeze blowing the trees around, “Something’s not right.” You mutter worriedly as he shares a nervous look with you.
“I know. Just stay close to me.”
You nod before giving him a weak reassuring smile, a moment later a strange anomaly of purple, blue, and dark grey clouds present themselves a small distance in front of you all. A tall figure of great stature and physical strength walks out from the odd whispy mass, he’s larger then anyone you’ve ever seen before, skin colored purple and golden laced armor of another world.
“Cap. That’s him.” Announces Bruce as you heart begins racing once more, oh shit oh shit oh shit. Fuck he’s really big.
Steve raises his two arm shields, “Eyes up. Stay sharp.” As he starts walking in the direction of you’re assuming is this Thanos everyone has been talking about.
Hulkbuster thunders past, but as Bruce reaches Thanos, his body turns a transparent blue and falls right through the purple alien before lodging himself in the rock of the ascending cliffside.
Steve’s next as he throws himself at Thanos, the titan uses his golden gauntlet when a sudden purply wisp of energy throws Steve into the trees. T’Challa lunges, but is swiftly stopped when Thanos’ giant hand wraps around his throat. He’s then thrown him down like a ragged doll; Sam is next, wings fold in on themselves and soon he’s down too.
Rodney right after as Thanos uses the gauntlet to crush him from within his suit, he’s promptly thrown to the side like a rock. Bullets fly violently through the air as Bucky fires shot after shot at the purple titan to no avail, he’s thrown across the ground like nothing.
Terrified yet too much full of rage to think, you race for the bastard titan as he pushes Okoye to the side, Natasha left disabled when tree roots throw themselves around her. He quickly takes notice as you jump on the roots, heading straight for him with an animistic rage flashing through your eyes.
His fist rises as he calls more roots to action, you skillful dodge their grip as you make a desperate jump for the titan below you now. He’s fast, but not fast enough to evade your clawed fist, the middle razor slashes a clean line right across his left eye as you tumble to the ground behind him, finding your footing in an instant.
Yourself now between him and the mind stone that’s currently getting destroyed by a tearful Wanda from behind you, though you’re not paying enough attention to fully realize what’s going down, you breath heavily while eyeing up the bulky man.
The pissed off titan whips around to meet your courageous glare, left eye missing, dripping with warm purple blood that trails like an ugly waterfall down his scared cheeks until it spatters to the forest floor. Face now visibly angered and very much in pain as he stares you down.
He takes a threatening step forward as you take a cautious one back, eyeing you up, he nods, “A clean hit, I’m afraid this one won’t heal for me unfortunately...nonetheless, I am impressed by your valor small one, but your bravery will be in vain.” Speaks the titan as you stare up at him with shaky breaths.
oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.
A second later the power of his golden gauntlet sends you flying into the trunk of a thick tree, knocking you out on impact.
When you awaken with a jolt, your nose is wet with drying crimson that trails across your lips and chin. Nothing hurts anymore but your body feels incredibly weird, taking in a deep breath, you stand on shaky legs. Eyes scanning the area only to find a confused Thor who’s looking rather dreadful and lost.
Steve quickly runs up to him, eyes searching around for Thanos who’s nowhere to be seen, “Where’d he go?” Wonders Steve as you slowly walk over to them, “Thor....Where’d he go?” Asks Steve more urgently this time, blue eyes looking around to no avail. Thanos is gone. Just like that.
But how?
You quickly catch movement to your left, but it’s just Bucky walking over to the three of you. Heart filled with relief, you start walking over to him as he locks eyes with you, a confused expression crossing over his features as he looks over at his left arm.
You follow his puzzled gaze and watch as his arm begins to disintegrate like ash on a windy day. Bucky finds your concerned face; panic, confusion, and fear flashing through his stormy irises as he takes another desperate step to reach you, “Y/N?” Is all you hear as the rest of his body begins turning to dust right before your very eyes.
His gun falls to the ground with a thud as the rest of his body disintegrates to nothing more then ash and dust upon the grass. You freeze, it feels like your heart as just been frozen in ice and smashed with a steel sledgehammer without remorse.
You swallow, walking on trembling legs to where his ashes remain, you slowly kneel. Hand touching the area as delicately as you would hold a newborn, this isn’t real this is just a shitty dream and you’ll wake up any second with him right by your side.
It’s just a dream. But you know, it’s not.
Steve wanders to your side before kneeling down and placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. Biting your bottom lip to hold the lump back that’s building in the back of your throat, you turn your head to meet him, your eyes glossed over with unshed tears.
He lowers his head in defeat as you stare bitterly back down at the ground where Bucky once was, lip quivering uncontrollably as you fight back a waterfall of hidden tears. The pain in your heart almost too much to bear. “Sam! Where are you?!” Shouts Rodney, a voice to bring you back to the world.
No, not the others too. How many did he take?
Blinking hard, a couple stray tears patter onto the brown ashes as you rise, Steve doing the same, you watch as he walks over to Vision who’s void of all color and taken of all life, a small crater marking the demise of his life force, the mind stone.
He kneels down to meet the body as Natasha runs into view, she quickly halts once her gaze falls onto Visions corpse, mouth agape in shock. Bruce, Rodney, that little raccoon, and Thor coming to from behind them as you amble closer to the distraught six, though your legs feel like they could give out at any moment.
“What is this?” Wonders Rodney as he looks from Steve to you and then over to Thor, “What the hell is happening?”
Tears stream silently down the sides of your cheeks now, they make a clean line from all the other dirt and blood that marks your skin. Breathing heavily, Natasha looks over to you, “Y/N?” She asks, voice wavering as her eyes trail over your mournfully stoic face.
He can’t be gone, not Bucky, not him.
-
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phis-corner · 3 years
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I recently read your platonic brucinette post, it was amazing, i couldn't stop laughing. What if she invites herself over to the Manor or something and the boys have no idea who she is (cause I feel like he wouldn't mention her cause she would probably ruin his reputation even more since his kids would probably spread the stories to their own friends) but I feel like maybe Tim already know her since he was in Paris looking for Bruce (when he got "killed" by Darkseid), he would probably see her as a mom or fun aunt that he could vent to
Ask and you shall recieve! again, any grammar mistakes are because I did not bother proofreading. whoops.
Masterlist ◈ Original
Dick Grayson had seen a lot of unexpected things throughout his lifetime, but he really did not expect to come downstairs for a nice bowl of cereal for breakfast and find a woman who looked eerily like the late Martha Wayne sitting at the table and eating his Bat Puffs.
Wait.
“Those are my Bat Puffs!” Dick shrieks, because he has priorities. That’s the last of his cereal, okay? And it’s going to be two days before Alfred goes on his next grocery run and he’s really bad at shopping for food on his own. Sue him.
Not-Or-Maybe-Possibly-If-You-Believe-Conspiracy-Theories-Martha-Wayne simply laughs, and easily dances out of the way of his grab for the bowl, moving out of his reach with an elegance and grace that can only mean she spends part of her day dressed in a different costume. Whether or not she was a good guy still remained to be seen, considering she had somehow broken into the Manor without setting a single alarm off and was currently eating the last of his Bat Puffs. 
A truly despicable act, indeed.
“Grayson?” Damian chooses that exact moment to come down the stairs. “I heard you scream. What’s-” He snarls the moment he catches sight of Not-Martha-Wayne, pulling out a knife from somewhere in the folds of his pajamas and hurling it at her head with impressive speed and accuracy.
Not-Martha-Wayne simply ducks, letting the knife thud into the wall behind her, making Dick wince. Alfred was not going to be happy.
“Identify yourself, woman!” Damian screeches, pulling out another knife. “Who are you, and how did you get in here?”
Not-Martha-Wayne tilts her head, blue eyes sparkling with mirth. “Really? I’m not even allowed to eat cereal in my own home now?”
Dick is slowly growing more and more convinced that Not-Martha-Wayne is actually Zombie-Martha-Wayne.
Damian freezes, eyeing her suspiciously. “Your home?”
“Wh’s goin’ on?” Tim slurs, stumbling down the stairs. “Why ‘re you all screamin’?”
Maybe-Zombie-Martha-Wayne brightens when she sees Tim. “Timber! How’s it going?”
Tim rubs his eyes, once, twice, and then his face splits into a grin when he finally registers Maybe-Zombie-Martha-Wayne’s presence. “Marinette! It’s so good to see you!”
And okay, what.
Tim hurries down the stairs (meaning only marginally faster than before, he hasn’t had his morning coffee yet,) and ignores the coffee machine in favor of hugging Possibly-Undead-Martha-Wayne, who laughs and puts down the bowl of Bat Puffs in favor of hugging him back. Dick takes the opportunity to snatch the bowl away from her, mourning the fact that there’s only a bit of milk left at the bottom of the bowl.
“Good to see you too, Tim,” Not-Martha-Wayne, whose name is apparently Marinette (why does that sound familiar?) ruffles Tim’s hair. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Tim,” Dick says, at the same time Damian demands “Drake.”
“How do you know this woman?” They say at the same time (Dick stubbornly ignores that Damian replaced ‘woman’ with ‘harlot’).
“You mean you don’t?” Tim asks, frowning. “She’s-”
“Marinette,” Bruce cuts Tim off, having appeared at the foot of the stairs in his usual dramatic fashion. 
Not-Martha-Wayne-But-Still-Really-Looks-Like-Her-Whose-Name-Is-Apparently-Marinette beams and waves cheerfully at Bruce, who looks done with life. “Hey, little brother! I see you haven’t gotten tired of dressing up as a giant bat to beat people up yet!”
Well, that was a lot to unpack. Dick decided he’d start with the easiest thing.
“Little brother?” He looks from Marinette to Bruce, Bruce to Marinette, noting the resemblance in both of them to Thomas and Martha Wayne. “You mean- she’s your older sister?” Dick shrieks, turning to Bruce. “Why have we never heard about her?”
“Really, Bruce?” Marinette gasps, mockingly placing a hand over her heart. “I’m devastated. How could you, after everything we’ve been through, not even tell your hundred thousand children that I even exist?”
Bruce doesn’t reply, instead letting out one long sigh through his nose. Huh. Sixteen whole seconds. Impressive.
“Just kidding,” Marinette grins once Bruce has finally stopped sighing. “He’s never told you because I travel the world a lot, my job is super dangerous, and because I’d expose all his deepest, darkest secrets.”
“Like his greatest fears?” Damian asks. Cass, who had silently entered the kitchen at some point or another, stood behind him, ready just in case he pulled out another knife.
Marinette tilts her head. “What? No!” Like how he wiped off one of the eyebrows on Sylvia McCartney’s face when he was four-”
She doesn’t get to finish that sentence because Bruce has made a mad dash across the kitchen, evidently aiming to get her to stay quiet. Marinette dances out of his hold with a giggle and continues speaking even as Bruce chases her all around the kitchen.
“-anyway, he declared that ‘she had something on her face’, wiped off one of her drawn-on eyebrows-” She ducks underneath a plate, which Cass deftly catches before it hits the wall. “-and then went ‘There. I got it for you!’”
A shoe flies at her head. Marinette bats it away with one hand. 
Dick tries valiantly to stifle his snickers, but judging by the evil eye Bruce is giving him, it’s not quite working.
“And there was that time we were at that four-star restaurant in Star City and he ate too much and-” Marinette raises an eyebrow as she catches a toaster in her hands. “Really now, Bruce? A toaster? You know it’ll take more than that to stop me. So he ate too much and got a stomach ache, then started holding his torso and very loudly declaring that he was starting his period.”
Dick doesn’t even bother holding in the laughter this time, and neither do any of his siblings. If only Jason was here to see this, but alas, he was at his own apartment and had no clue that this was going on. Neither did Steph, for that matter, and Duke was already out on patrol since he was somehow a morning person. What a travesty.
“And then there was that time when-” Marinette is cut off by another one of Bruce’s long, very drawn-out sighs. 
“Look, Mari, I think they get the point,” He groans (well - as close to groaning as the Batman ever got), pinching the bridge of his nose. “You can stop now.”
“Oh, you’re just annoyed that you couldn’t stop me,” Marinette retorts with yet another smile, and Dick is once again struck by how similar she looks to the lady in the portrait that hangs over the fireplace in the largest of the Manor’s three living rooms. “I suppose you’re right, however. Despite the abundance of embarrassing stories, they do run out at some point, and I’d prefer not to use them all up in one go, ya know? I have to be the cool aunt. Kate can keep wine aunt, but I’m the cool one now.”
“I think Miss Katherine might disagree with that,” Alfred says mildly. “However, I do believe you can win the children over if you tell them about the time your father brought Master Bruce to his board meeting.”
The look of utter betrayal Bruce gives Alfred makes them crack up all over again.
--o0o--
“Man, I am so glad you got it all on camera,” Duke grins, placing two bowls of popcorn on the coffee table before flopping back down onto the couch. “This is going to be great.”
Tim waves a hand dismissively. “I just hacked the cameras in the Manor. Bruce’s paranoia backfired this time.”
Steph cheers and immediately makes a grab for the popcorn as Cass hits the play button on the remote, and Dick can’t help but crack a smile at his own face when he sees the last of his cereal being eaten.
“Richard, I find it concerning that your first thought was of your cereal and not the intruder,” Damian observes.
Dick ruffles his hair, drawing out a squawk of protest. “Well, what can I say? I really like Bat Puffs.”
The Wayne siblings settle down for a movie night that is definitely going to be filled with lots of laughter.
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thenightling · 3 years
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The Dreaming: Waking Hours Issue 12
Okay, let’s dive into this.  Today I just finished reading the final issue of The Dreaming: Waking Hours.  I’m still not particularly happy with how the comic handled “true names.”  I feel it would have been more respectful and empowering toward trans people to have Heather BE her true name instead of having her stop the Unseelie from saying her dead name (implying it would still count as a true name).  I know she said there’s no such thing as a true name but I think for a lot of people (trans, or just those that never liked their birth names and picked a different one later in life) it would be better to know that the name you most heavily associate with yourself IS your true name.
Batman Beyond actually handled this a little better in having Bruce Wayne reveal that Bruce is NOT the name he calls himself in his own mind, making it clear that for him, Batman IS is true name, even after he retired and passed the mantle to Terry.
The 1985 Fright Night also handled this with the has-been horror actor Peter Vincent.  He went from saying “That isn’t even my real name.”  To “I AM Peter Vincent, the great vampire killer!”  We never learn what his supposed “real name” (Read: Birth name) was because it doesn’t matter.  He became the character- the hero he had always pretended (and wanted) to be.  Peter Vincent became his true name.  
But anyway, that was all in issue 11.  The True name part could have been handled a lot better and that was my biggest disappointment for this comic.
Ultimately the story had a happy ending for Ruin and Heather realized that Faerie probably wouldn’t embrace democracy (Thank God!).  Though the anti-monarchy rantings were a bit annoying.  Who were they toward?   What reader of The Dreaming is going “Hmm.  You know, America could really use an absolute monarchy right now.”?
Nevertheless Heather remains my favorite trans character... No, correct that.  She remains my favorite original character in ANY Sandman spin-off, period. She’s well-developed, flawed, yet likable. And she’s not a flat, or boring, self-insert.  She’s actually a good character.      
I wasn’t too surprised that Daniel was portrayed as a bit of an ass here but I was still disappointed.  It seems the only writer who doesn’t make Daniel a complete ass is Neil Gaiman, himself.   I said it before and I’ll say it again . I think some authors must resent him because they’d rather be writing Morpheus but they don’t dare ask if they can out-right bring him back in the contemporary setting. 
Also Daniel’s reasoning doesn’t make sense.  Faerie and the Heavenly hosts weren’t angry because Ruin wanted to be with the man he loved. That was happenstantial.  And Heather told him that Jophiel helping Ruin find his love is what enabled him to ascend back to Heaven.  Jophiel had ot understand and learn the importance of love. That was good.  That was sweet.   
The only explanation I can give for Daniel’s behavior here is jealousy.  Daniel came off as jealous and resentful that his own romance in Simon Spurrier’s (Hiss) version of The Dreaming (which is sadly still canon...) didn’t work out.  And he did not expect Ruin to succeed so when he did find his true love Daniel got jealous and spiteful.  That might not be what G. Willow Wilson intended but that’s how it came off.  “If I can’t have love with a mortal, no one can!”   
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(Aw, look!  Daniel’s first “You dare!”)
I do kind of like Heather threatening Daniel with the spell that was used to summon and trap Morpheus though.   There is the flaw that Neil Gaiman did repeatedly say that the spell would not if Morpheus had been at full strength.  First, the spell was never really intended for him (or Unseelie for that matter but she used it on the Unseelie too).  Second, it only worked on Morpheus the first time because he was so weakened after the events of The Sandman: Overture. 
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For the sake of Daniel’s decently I’ll pretend he faked fear of the spell because he WANTED to be stopped.  He knew he was wrong to try to separate Ruin and his love but he felt obligated to try.  That sits better for me than Daniel legitimately just being an asshole and promising his family would go to war against Heather’s... again.   Umm... Daniel, your family never went to war with the Burgess family.  Morpheus cursed Alexander and you forgave him and that was that.  What war?!   
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Ah, well.  At least Ruin got his happy ending.  But I don’t quite get why he needs to be mortal to have that ending.  That feels unnecessary to me.
Nevertheless, it was still a satisfying ending.  I just wish Daniel hadn’t been made a last minute antagonist just so if Heather turns up again later Dream can’t be an ally...  And I sense that was the intention.  I like Heather but this part feels contrived. 
In general it was a satisfying ending though and there were parts I loved.  I love Heather. I liked the use of the spell even if it shouldn’t really work on Daniel.  I was happy Ruin got the one he loved.  I was very satisfied and happy with how Jophiel’s story ending, that he needed to learn the importance and value of love.  
I’m glad it wasn’t cynical bitterness there but actually a show of Heaven’s sense of value on love. I was a little worried this was yet-another story where Heaven and its Angels were ultimately going to be treated as heartless jerks and I was getting quite tired of that in adult comics.   This was a nice change.   I liked it more than I didn’t.  
And this is still the best version of The Dreaming to date.  It could have stood fine on its own without Simon Spurrier’s The Dreaming.  I would have probably liked it better if it wasn’t attached to that.   But I am still happy with the outcome.  Still the best Sandman spin-off to date.  And with the most likable protagonist (Heather) and Casper the Friendly Nightmare (Ruin).   
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curlybookwriter0294 · 3 years
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Behind the Dark Sunglasses
Summary: All Wally wants to do is to enjoy his time with his handsome boyfriend Nightwing. However, he can't stand his dark sunglasses and truly wants to know who he truly is because he is dying to know what color his eyes were. Will he finally tell him?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC or the YJ universe!!! Just the plot lol.
AN: I am back with another Birdlfash fic!! Gosh, I just fucking love these two togetherrrrrrr and I hope that you guys will enjoy this little beauty. Sadly it is not smutyyyyy but there is somewhat sexual content in here lol. 
Wally West has no idea if heaven is even real but hey, he lives in a world with superheroes and he’s one of them, so anything is possible at this point these days. Right now, at this moment, this feels like he’s in heaven. “Fuck,” he muttered through grounded teeth, throwing his head back and closed his green eyes and used a hand to grab a fist full of dark hair that was between his legs. “Babe. Shit.”
He heard a low chuckle that he knows all too well and had opened one eye to see his raven-haired boyfriend stroking his member with a hand as he smirked up at the older speedster above him. “Enjoying this?” he asked him, using another hand to push up his dark sunglasses that he would always wear whenever he’s not in his Nightwing uniform.
Wally bit his lower lip so he could focus the warm touch that was on him, frowning when he had looked down at the younger hero’s face or what he could see because of his stupid sunglasses. He sighed. “I would be enjoying it a lot more if I could see your eyes, Nightwing,” he said with a sigh.
 He watched Nightwing move away from his legs and knew that the moment between them had ended because of what he had said. The two heroes were silent as he had put himself back into his boxers and jeans that he was wearing, watching Nightwing walking over to sit in his desk chair with a deep frown on his face. “Wing…” he started, running a hand through his short red hair.
 “You know why I can’t tell you.”
 Wally rolled his forest orbs with a snort and leaned back on his bed until his back touched the headboard. “Yea. I know. It’s because of Batman and his stupid rules. I just thought… that since…never mind. Forget it.”
 Neither of them said anything after a while and Wally watched the younger hero fiddling over his computer that was attached to his watch and Wally sighed. “I’m sorry for ruining things.”
 Nightwing turned Wally’s desk chair around to stare at his older boyfriend as he folded his arms over his chest. “You didn’t. You have no idea how much I want to tell you about me,” he said with a quiet sigh, threading his fingers through his short black hair.
 “Can’t you just simply ask him if it is okay? I mean, I told you since the first day The Team was formed,” Wally reminded him in a matter-of-fact tone, shaking his head as he leaned off the headboard and crawled over to the edge of the bed. “I just…” he blushed before continuing. “I just want to see what’s behind those dark sunglasses, especially if things were to get heated again.”
 The younger man that was across from the speedster cleared his throat and shifted in his seat nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know Wally. It’s just…” Nightwing paused as he tried to think of a way to explain the situation. “It’s complicated with him. Even if I do try and talk to him it’s still going to be a no.”
 Wally studied him for a moment, trying to decide if he truly believes in what he was saying to him. Wally truly understands that the Dark Knight has strict rules when it’s about revealing their secret identity. Heck, he remembers asking his uncle if he knew who Batman truly was and even he didn’t know. He could understand the hesitation of revealing it to him. It makes him slightly wonder if there’s more to it than just the rule that Batman had created.
 “There isn’t something else is there? Perhaps another reason as to why I haven’t seen your eyes yet?” The speedster asked slowly, watching his boyfriend’s shoulders tensed up at the question. “There is… isn’t there?”
 “If people find out who we are… our enemies can use that against the people that we tell.” Nightwing told him, knowing that it was half the truth in his words. He truly wishes that Wally would drop it and they could go back to what they were doing before. However, he knows how persistent his boyfriend can be at times and he also know that he won’t drop it unless he gets a real answer.
 Wally leaned forward on the bed and stared at the younger hero, wishing that he could see what kind of facial expression he was making. He honestly wonders if his eyes were blue, or green or heck hazel. “I understand that babe,” he told him. “But I believe that there’s more to it than that. Am I right?” he asked, hiking a brow at him.
 Nightwing didn’t answer him right away and Wally knew that he was right after all. Wally nibbled at his lower lip, trying to think of a way to break the awkward silence that had followed between them. “At least tell me that you’re not a serial killer,” he says in a joking manner and his upper lip curled up when his boyfriend scoffed at him. “That’s not really an answer. I gotta know what I’m dealing with here.”
 “No, Wally. I am definitely not a serial killer,” Nightwing told him with a shake of his head. “It’s just…” There was a pause. “I don’t want you to think differently about me if you were to discover my identity,” he said to him honestly as he took a deep breath.
 Wally stared at him with wide eyes and got up from his bed to kneel in front of Nightwing. He used his thumb to lift his chin and even though he was wearing sunglasses, he knew that he was staring directly into his green eyes. “Even if you are a serial killer. It wouldn’t change the way that I feel about you, Nightwing. You can trust me. I know that I am an annoying speedster who likes to eat a lot and don’t know when to shut my mouth at times, but I do know on how to shut the fuck up when I need to. Just tell Batman that okay? Maybe then he can finally let you tell me because I am so dying to know what color your eyes are,” he leaned in to give Nightwing a chaste kiss on his lips. “I love you. So damn much.”
 Wally knows that it was rare for Nightwing to cry and when he saw a train of tears flowing from his sunglasses, he gently wipes them off with his fingers. “I love you too, Wally and…” Wally froze when he watched Nightwing reached up with shaky fingers to slowly take off his sunglasses. “And I want—”
 Wally reached up with his hands to stop Nightwing from removing them. “Babe, I don’t want you to get into trouble. If he finds out…”
 “Didn’t you just tell me a moment ago that you know when to shut the fuck up when you need to?”
 Wally pressed his lips together in a thin line and rolled his eyes at him. “Yes. But we both know how Batman is. He’s gonna know that you—”
 A pair of lips made Wally stop talking and he had moaned when Nightwing’s teeth had bit his lower lip to open it so his tongue to slip inside his mouth. Wally placed a hand onto his chest to gently push him away and licked his lips. “Are you absolutely sure you want to go against Batman’s orders?” he asked breathlessly, gulping when he saw Nightwing’s hands reached up to touch the handles of his sunglasses. “Wing.”
 Neither of them said anything to each other as Nightwing slowly took off his dark sunglasses and Wally squinted his eyes as he tried to figure out why his eyes were close and why the heck he had looked so familiar even though he has not seen his eyes yet. “You can back out anytime. I won’t be mad,” he promised him in a reassuringly way.
 “No. I want to do this. Just…don’t freak out, okay?”
 Wally cocked his head to the side in confusion by his comment and was about ask him what he had meant by that, but his question was caught in throat when Nightwing had finally open his eyes and Wally’s whole body froze when he did.
 Blue. His eyes were blue.
 It was so blue, Wally thought he was staring into an ocean and the more he stared into them deeply he was finding himself lost in them and honestly, he wouldn’t mind being lost in them and the more he had studied his boyfriend’s face the more he realized as to why he had looked so familiar to him. He had to blink several times in order to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him and even rubbed them just in case.
 “R-Richard Grayson? You’re—You’re—"
 “Actually… I prefer to be called Dick Grayson,” Dick corrected, clearing his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He sat still in the desk chair when Wally continued to stare at him in shock. “Wally—” he started, trying to come up a way to make this whole Secret Identity Reveal less awkward.
 “It makes sense,” Wally interrupted him, eyeing him up and down. “As to why the Dark Knight was so harsh on the whole ID thing…which means,” his mouth fell open as the pieces fell into place the more he had thought he had thought about it. “No way…”
 Dick Grayson knew what his older boyfriend was smart and that he had figured out the reason by himself but waited until he had said the words before saying anything else. He sucked in a deep breath when wide green eyes met his blue ones and knew what was coming next when he had opened his mouth again.
 “Bruce Wayne is Batman.”
 Wally watched Dick nod at him slightly and Wally’s mouth made a O shape in shock and Dick sucked in another deep breath as he waits for him to speak again. “You really have pretty eyes, Dick.”
 Dick blinked several times as he processed as to what the redheaded speedster just said. He was confused about his statement. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about more important matter at hand? “Is that the only thing that matters right now?” he asked, hiking up a brow at him.
 Wally scratched the top of his head as he shrugged his shoulders. “I mean did you want me to freak out over the fact that the billionaire is freaking Batman and that you’re Nightwing?” he asked him, cocking his head to the side when Dick’s shoulders stiffen. The speedster shook his head. “Because I don’t care about that kind of stuff. You know me better than that.” Wally walked closer to where Dick was at his desk and leaned in closer to him when he had brought his face closer to his. “You could be a stripper and I would still love you.”
 Dick rolled his sapphire eyes at him. “You’re such a—"
 “Sap?” Wally suggested, wiggling his eyebrows when the raven-haired hero snorted at him. He cleared his throat and leaned in to brush his nose against his boyfriend. “I’m being for real though. I would still love you. No matter what, babe.”
 “I know,” Dick said with a huge blush on his face. “And I also love you too. Thank you for accepting me.”
 “I will always accept you. Don’t forget that. Ever.”
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Text
Masks and Music
(Part 1)
Part 2
I didn't think that my last post would've gotten ANY notes at all, so imagine my surprise when I find out that people actually liked it. After that suprise I thought why not and make another one so here we go! This is a Miraculous/Batfam crossover.
Imagine that Damian gets sent to Paris because the fam doesn't want him to become an emotionally constipated sad boi like Bruce and think that a change in scenery would help.
They don't know about the whole Hawkmoth situation because SOMEONE from the justice league decided that the while thing was a prank DESPITE that it was an ENTIRE CITY calling instead of a single person.
Like, aren't you guys supposed to be the world's greatest heros or something?
Who hired you?
Damian being the grumpy lil kid that he is holds a grudge and decides to not accept any calls or video chats from his family or tell them about Hawkmoth because that's what you get when you send someone across the world against their will.
(and because of plot convenience shhh)
Anyways, Damian goes to school as instantly adds Lila onto his mental list of people he needs to get rid of.
I mean, seriously, he's only been is the room for what, 15 seconds and he's already getting a migraine?
Great. Juusssttt great.
He sits in the back of the class with what seems to be the only person with brain cells in this room.
The dark haired girl just looks over and sees the disgust at Lila written all over his face and gives him a silent empathetic nod.
'This is unfortunately normal here.' she tries to convey through the small action.
He just nods back to show his understanding before turning around to observe the others.
In a few minutes Ms. Bustier walks in the room and asks him to introduce himself to the class.
It looks like the teacher never told the class that they were getting a new student because they all have to do double takes when they realize that there's a new face in the room.
He gives them the bare basics, telling them that his name is Damian Grayson, he's from America, and that he doesn't want any of them to talk to him before sitting down.
Clearly the teacher wanted him to say more or scold him for being so rude but a glare shut her up.
Later during a break period Lila tries to flirt with him and brags all about how she's met so many different celebrities and her achievements.
He tells her off and tries to move away but her nails are digging into his arms as she tries to convince him that he should stay away from Marinette.
Before he can maim her, the dark haired girl comes out from behind him and starts spraying Lila down like an unruly cat with some sort of strong smelling liquid from a spray bottle.
Lila screeches and stomps away.
When he turns to his hero the girl explains.
"It's a mixture of shredded lemon, expired maple syrup, vinegar, and pomegranate juice. I call it People Repellant but Thot Begone works too. Oh, and I'm Marinette by the way."
He eyes her hand before shaking it.
"Damian, though I assume you already know that. Can I get some of that by the way? I know a couple insufferable annoyances that would benefit from a spray down.
Marinette just blinks for a second before she bursts out laughing and that was the start of a great friendship.
Together they:
Make fun of Lila in the back of class.
Help eachother with homework (they only cheat off eachother when they REALLY need help)
Prank Lila in odd ways (Hey, just because she found hundreds of furbies hidden around her house that turn on one by one in the middle of the night effectively scaring the crap out of her when she's trying to sleep doesn't mean that it's their fault. She had it coming.)
Break a couple laws (shhhhhhh. Those toy stores don't need those furbies anyways).
Dare eachother over stupid things (they still insist that the cereal incident was caused by the other).
And overall become closer as friends.
They bring out the overdramatic chaotic gremlin child in eachother.
One time when Damian goes over to Marinette's place to work on a project he finds her singing a Disney song to herself on her balcony.
This isn't the first time they've caught eachother singing.
One time Marinette caught Damian in the art room at school humming one of the many annoyingly cheesy and catchy songs that Dick likes to listen to.
Despite him explaining the embarrassing situation to her she still teased him for weeks after.
He'll never get to live it down.
Damian shakes his head to get rid of the flashback when a devious smirk spreads across his face as a revenge plan comes to mind.
After carefully placing his stuff on the floor he sneakily makes his way across the space until he's right behind her.
That's when he joins in.
Screaming at the top of his lungs at first, effectively giving her a mini heart attack before eventually quieting down to a normal singing volume.
She glares at him, annoyed by his loud and obnoxious entrance before she starts singing again.
They eventually end up full Disney movie dramatically performing around her balcony with dance moves and over dramatic acting.
Is it bad that actual birds and other animals are appearing and joining in?
Damian totally kept one of the pigeons.
He named it Dolores.
(He later trained Dolores to attack Rossi on sight.)
When they're finished they end up on the floor out of breath.
They stay like that for a few minutes before Damian sits up.
"That. That was fun. I don't think I've actually ever sang before."
Marinette jolts up in suprise and turns to face him.
"Really? I never would've guessed. You have a really nice singing voice."
He would deny till his dying breath that he blushed when she said that but he covers it up with a smirk.
"Well I guess that's just because yours is so terrible in comparison."
He squawks when she jabs a finger in his side.
"Pshh. As if. Besides, my singing skills can't be worse then your gaming skills." She challenges with a cheeky smile.
"ExCuSe mE?!"
And that's how they spend the rest of the day playing video games, leaving the unfinished project to be completed on a later day.
Good thing it isn't due until 2 weeks time.
After a couple of hours playing video games, creating many possible Lila murder plans, eating pastries, and joking around, it's time for him to leave.
As Damian left for his place he got a feeling that something big was gonna happen.
Marinette also got the feeling but they both ignored it.
Little did they know, someone just happened to walk by and starstruck by the amazing singing they recorded the performance before posting it on the internet.
Imagine the duo's suprise when they wake up the next day to find themselves trending on the internet.
Luckily the video quality was pretty trash so their faces weren't identifiable but the audio was loud and clear.
The world was talking about the cute couple singing to their hearts desire on a balcony. If that's not cliche and adorable then the world doesn't know what is.
The assumption about their relationship status left them looking like tomatos but that didn't stop them from wonder why they didn't notice a creep recording them.
Damn Disney songs and their unnatural ability to distract people.
Of course Lila took advantage of the rising popularity of the video and talked about how she taught the two people in the video how to sing and gave them tips.
The two just walked past the idiot squad and sat down in their seats, making a mental note to come up with a prank later, when the akuma alarms came on.
They fall into their normal routine of Marinette running out to find a place to transform as Damian covers for her.
Oops did I forget to mention that Damian found out her identity because she crashed through his window in the middle of the night still transformed and asked him what's the answer to question 24 in their science homework because she just defeated an akuma by herself and was running on 20 minutes of sleep?
My bad.
Anyways it turns out today was the day Marinette had officially had enough of Chat's bullcrap.
It was gonna be a normal akuma situation.
Ladybug trying to fight the poor butterfly victim while chat noir either doesn't show up, tries to do everything on his own to impress her and ruins the whole plan, or just watches and complains about how she needs to get over her denial and date him BUT
This time he decided to actively try to push her in the akuma's way therefore putting her in SO MUCH MORE DANGER than she was already in.
Now she had to dodge out of the akuma's way AND CHAT'S!
WhAt ThE fUdGe?!?!
You think possibly killing Ladybug and trying to force her to beg for you to save her is gonna make her like you?!?
Just how hard did you hit your head when Gabriel dropped you on the floor when you were 2?
After the akuma was eventually defeated Ladybug told Chat to meet her on an abandoned rooftop that night because they needed to talk.
Chat being the oblivious person that he is (I swear I don't actually hate chat noir, this is for the plot I'm sorry) thought that it was for a love confession and became overly smug before leaving.
Making sure that he isn't following her, Marinette meets up with Damian at his place (school's over because of the attack) and asks him to help.
Later that day when the two miraculous holders meet up Ladybug distracts the Catboy by flirting with him while Damian uses his ninja skills for something other than sneaking up on her and giving Marinette mini heart attacks.
From behind he quickly hits a pressure point causing the other boy to fall unconscious.
Using her ALMIGHTY GUARDIAN OF THE MIRACULOUS powers, Ladybug takes Adrien's ring away and places a spell on him that makes it so he will never be able to use another miraculous ever again.
After they take Adrien home Marinette gives Damian the ring and Night Prowler is born.
He promises to do everything in his power to make sure that Selina and his family doesn't find out for the sake of his pride.
We'll see how that goes.
Night Prowler first officially appeared during an akuma named 'Break Dancer'.
Ironically, she was a ballerina that had to drop out of the finals in a competition because she broke her right leg the day before the show.
She could turn civilians into back up dancers and forced them to perform against their will.
They also worked as minions who would attack the duo for her while she stayed a safe distance away.
It was pretty obvious that the akumatized item was the music box held inside the bag that Break Dancer had slung around her shoulders but the real question was how could they get to it without becoming attacked by the backup dancer or becoming one of them.
Luckily (eheheh), a car with an open window playing music just happened to pass by before driving off.
Before it drove off, the music coming from the car was loud enough to play over the music box which caused some of the minions to become free again and run off.
Ladybug called her lucky charm and a Bobby pin landed in her hand.
As she looked around she noticed a store a couple blocks away that had a couple radios.
Unfortunately, the store was locked and closed.
Fortunately, she knew how to pick locks and a Bobby pin did come from her lucky charm soooo......
Who is she to deny literal gods.
They break into the store and grab a radio, and a speaker and rush over to where the akuma was causing chaos.
They turn on the radio, connect the speaker and turn the volume on as loud as it can go before flipping through the stations for a good song.
If they're gonna fight with music in the background they're gonna be picky about it and wont settle for anything other than epic.
While fighting they eventually get swept up in the music and end up singing along.
It's nothing less than full on majestic.
When the fight is over and the akuma is purified they find out that someone recorded it and posted it on the internet as well.
Now everyone knows that the beloved hero of Paris and her new partner were the two people singing on that balcony.
Ummmmm.....
Good thing that the video quality was trash right?
If it weren't for that their identities would've been busted the moment they started singing in hero form.
Luckily there aren't many people other than Damian that know what Marinette's singing voice sounds like so they're okay.
Well.... They WERE okay,
Until a certain rockstar and his agent came across the two videos and put two and two together.
So now King Sting (bee!jagged) and Peridot (turtle!penny) have joined the team.
Poor Penny, now she has to deal with two gremlin children and a some sort of bizarre man-child.
The next akuma confused the group quite a bit.
He didn't really do anything but sit on a rooftop waiting for the miracle team to show up.
They were all suspicious of him at first but when they did reveal themselves to him he explained his situation.
He was akumatized because his favorite rock band broke up but he didn't really want to take their miraculouses away.
He just asked if they could perform another song for him and he would give his akumatized item to them.
They all sorta looked at eachother and collectively went 'screw it why not' and sang another song.
If they were great before, they are absolutely AMAZING now.
Well that's what happens when you add a famous rockstar to a team of singing superheros I guess.
The akuma was blown away and true to his word handed over the rolled up picture in his pocket and was purified despite of Hawkmoth's nagging.
Haha screw you Hawky.
This time the ordeal was recorded by a news station and the 'hand over the akuma in exchange for a song' thing became a trend.
There were still normal akuma's that didn't follow follow it but those were far flung between.
It seems like Hawkmoth was getting annoyed by this so there started being less akuma attacks over the months.
Because of this some people were actively trying to get upset to attract one of the purple butterflies.
They traded one good thing for another I guess.
To stop that from happening the group started performing in public as superheros during concerts and festivals.
Because of this they became quite well known outside of Paris as well.
Is it ironic that more people know them as a band rather than a superhero team now?
When Marinette learned that they could change what their superhero costumes looked like if they put enough will into it she squealed.
Marinette designs superhero performance costumes for them whenever they have a festival to play at.
Whenever asked about their outfits they always reply with MDC.
Marinette's business gets really popular after that.
And since no one knows who MDC really is, she doesn't have to worry about the whole "Oh no me and my family are gonna be in danger!" thing
It's a win win!
Overtime they basically become a second (or third for some people) family to eachother.
Damian becomes more 'kid like' and open to others,
Marinette becomes more confident and overall happier,
Jagged gets to hang out with his awesome niece and her 'maybe more than just a friend',
And Penny gets a new outlet for stress and has so many more crazy stories to tell people.
One day while she's in the living room on the sofa watching 'The AristoCats' Damian just barges into the room and dramatically flops over onto of her.
He just lays there with his head in her lap and the rest of his body sprawled on the couch.
After everything that has happened this is normal for them now.
Without asking any questions or talking at all they just watch the movie together with the occasional remark or quip between them.
Around half way through the movie Jagged kicks down the door, effectively scaring the crap out of the two teens, while Penny follows behind him with an apologetic look on her face.
At first Jagged was yelling about something having to do with'Fang' and 'Dragon' and 'Miraculous' but after taking in the domestic atmosphere of the room he just sits down on the floor and joins in on watching the movie.
Penny, shaking her head in both amusement and exasperation, sits down on another chair and does the same.
While combing through Damian's hair with her fingers Marinette looks around the room.
'My life can't get any more complicated, can it?'
Oh boy, she just jinxed it.
This is just an idea I've had bouncing around in my head for awhile and I couldn't resist the urge to write it out. I AM planning on making a part 2 so if you like this keep an eye out for that. I'm by no means a fast writer though so it will take a while. But then again not many people will probably read this soo.... Yeah.
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